Word
Wat is het probleem?
Meaning
What is the problem?
Part of speech
sentence
Pronunciation
Course
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We have an entire course teaching Dutch grammar and vocabulary.
Questions & Answers about Wat is het probleem?
Does wat always go at the start of the sentence?
Yes, when asking a question, wat (what) goes at the very beginning. Just like in English, the question word takes the first position.
Why does the verb is come right after wat?
In Dutch questions that start with a question word like wat, the verb must come in the second position. This is the same word order we use in English for 'What is...?'
How do I know whether to use de or het with probleem?
The word probleem is a neuter noun in Dutch, so it always takes het for 'the'. Since there are no strict rules for which words are neuter, it is best to memorize het probleem as a single chunk.
Since probleem is spelled so similarly to English, do I pronounce it the same way?
Not quite! The double ee makes a long vowel sound, similar to the 'a' in the English word 'late'. Also, the stress falls on the second syllable: pro-BLEEM.