Learn French: Quelle est l'origine de ce problème ? - What is the origin of this problem?

Quelle est l'origine de ce problème ?

What is the origin of this problem?

Breakdown of Quelle est l'origine de ce problème ?

of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)

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

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

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.

Why do we use Quelle instead of Quel?

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.

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

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.

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

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.