Question 1

The lesson is about asking for origins using d'où. Why don't we use d'où in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

D'où means 'from where' and is generally used when asking about physical locations or where someone or something physically comes from. Since a problem isn't a place, it is more natural in French to literally ask 'What is the origin...' (Quelle est l'origine...) just like in English.

Question 2

Why do we use Quelle instead of Quel?

Accepted Answer

Quelle is the feminine form of the question word for 'which' or 'what'. We use it here because it must match the feminine noun origine. If the word we were asking about was masculine, we would use the masculine form Quel.

Question 3

Why is it ce problème? Doesn't the 'e' at the end of problème usually make it feminine?

Accepted Answer

Not always! While many French words ending in 'e' are feminine, problème is a common exception. It is a masculine noun. Because of this, we use the masculine word for 'this', which is ce. If the noun were feminine, we would use cette.

Question 4

Why does it say l'origine instead of la origine?

Accepted Answer

Origine is feminine, so its normal word for 'the' is la. However, because origine starts with a vowel, the 'a' in la drops out and becomes an apostrophe to make the words flow smoothly together. This is a very strict rule in French called elision.

Quelle est l'origine de ce problème ?

Breakdown of Quelle est l'origine de ce problème ?

Questions & Answers about Quelle est l'origine de ce problème ?

Learn Quelle est l'origine de ce problème and more in French