Significado
Asking to identify a difficulty, issue, or source of trouble.
Contexto cultural
Brazilians are generally very open about sharing problems. Asking this is often seen as a sign of genuine care. People in Portugal may be slightly more reserved. Use a softer tone to ensure it doesn't sound like you are prying. In a professional setting, it is common to use this to identify bottlenecks in a project. Often used in comments to ask for clarification on a confusing post.
Watch your tone
This phrase is neutral. Your tone of voice determines if you are being helpful or aggressive.
Don't add 'seu'
Adding 'seu' (your) turns a helpful question into a confrontational challenge.
Significado
Asking to identify a difficulty, issue, or source of trouble.
Watch your tone
This phrase is neutral. Your tone of voice determines if you are being helpful or aggressive.
Don't add 'seu'
Adding 'seu' (your) turns a helpful question into a confrontational challenge.
Use 'O que houve?'
If you want to sound more natural and less like a textbook, use 'O que houve?' instead.
Body language
A slight tilt of the head makes this phrase sound much more empathetic.
Ponte a prueba
Fill in the blank with the correct article.
Qual é ___ problema?
'Problema' is a masculine noun.
Which sentence is correct?
Choose the best option.
The correct structure is 'Qual' + 'é' + 'o' + 'problema'.
Complete the dialogue.
A: Estou muito triste hoje. B: ________?
This is the most natural way to ask about someone's distress.
Match the situation to the phrase.
Your friend is crying. What do you say?
This shows concern for their specific issue.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Ayudas visuales
Banco de ejercicios
4 ejerciciosQual é ___ problema?
'Problema' is a masculine noun.
Choose the best option.
The correct structure is 'Qual' + 'é' + 'o' + 'problema'.
A: Estou muito triste hoje. B: ________?
This is the most natural way to ask about someone's distress.
Your friend is crying. What do you say?
This shows concern for their specific issue.
🎉 Puntuación: /4
Preguntas frecuentes
12 preguntasNot at all, as long as your tone is soft and your intent is to help.
It comes from Greek, and many words ending in -ma are masculine in Portuguese.
Yes, but be careful. 'Poderia me explicar o problema?' is safer.
'Problema' is a general issue; 'dificuldade' is a specific hurdle.
Use 'Quais são os problemas?'.
Yes, it is standard in both Brazil and Portugal.
Add 'Por favor' or use 'Poderia me dizer...'.
Yes, it is very common in spoken Brazilian Portuguese.
No, it is standard language.
Only if said with an aggressive tone.
Yes, it is perfect for that.
Using 'a' instead of 'o' before 'problema'.
Frases relacionadas
O que houve?
synonymWhat happened?
Algum problema?
similarAny problem?
Qual é a dificuldade?
specialized formWhat is the difficulty?
Tem algo errado?
similarIs something wrong?
