Question 1

I thought arriver meant 'to arrive'. Why is it translated as 'happens'?

Accepted Answer

You are right that arriver usually means 'to arrive' when talking about a person or a vehicle. But when talking about an event or a situation, like cette sorte de problème (this kind of problem), it means 'to happen' or 'to occur'.

Question 2

Why isn't there an article before problème? Shouldn't it be 'sorte d'un problème'?

Accepted Answer

After expressions of type or category like sorte de (kind of) or genre de (type of), the noun that follows usually doesn't take an article in French. You just use de directly before the noun, making it sorte de problème.

Question 3

Why does the sentence use cette (feminine) if problème is masculine?

Accepted Answer

The word for 'this' must agree with the noun it directly attaches to. Here, cette is agreeing with la sorte (the kind/sort), which is feminine. The gender of problème doesn't change the word cette.

Question 4

Wait, isn't problème feminine because it ends in '-e'?

Accepted Answer

It is a common trap! Even though it ends in '-e', problème is actually a masculine noun (un problème). Many French words ending in '-ème', like un système or un poème, are masculine.

Cette sorte de problème arrive souvent.

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