Learn French: J'ai eu un problème terrible hier. - I had a terrible problem yesterday.

To say 'I had' in the past tense (passé composé), you need two parts: the helping verb and the past participle. Here, the helping verb is ai (I have) and the main action is also the verb to have, whose past participle is the irregular word eu (had). So, J'ai eu literally translates to 'I have had', which is how French says 'I had'.

How do you pronounce the word eu?

Even though it is spelled with an 'e' and a 'u', it is pronounced exactly like the French letter 'u' by itself. You make the sound by rounding your lips like you are going to say 'oo' in English, but trying to say 'ee' instead.

Why is it un problème? Doesn't the 'e' at the end make it feminine?

Not always! While many French words ending in 'e' are feminine, problème is a very common exception. It is always masculine, which is why it uses un. Other common masculine words ending in 'e' include un homme (a man) and un livre (a book).

Why does terrible come after problème instead of before it?