Breakdown of Est-ce que c'est un grand problème ?
être
to be
un
a / an (masculine)
ce
it / this (with être)
grand
big / tall
le problème
the problem
est-ce que
is it that / do / does (question marker)
c'est
it is, that is
Questions & Answers about Est-ce que c'est un grand problème ?
Why are there two est words in this sentence?
The first one is part of est-ce que, the standard phrase used to turn a statement into a yes/no question. The second one is in c'est (it is). Literally, the sentence asks 'Is it that it is a big problem?'.
How would I change this into a 'why' question?
Just put pourquoi (why) right at the beginning! You get Pourquoi est-ce que c'est un grand problème ? (Why is it a big problem?).
Why does grand come before problème? Don't French adjectives usually go after the noun?
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