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J'ai eu des ennuis avec ma voiture.

J'ai eu des ennuis avec ma voiture.
I had trouble with my car.
From Lesson 188:Subjunctive for emotions (être content que, avoir peur que)·French

Questions & Answers about J'ai eu des ennuis avec ma voiture.

Why does French use the plural des ennuis when the English translation is the singular "trouble"?
In English, "trouble" is often an uncountable noun, so it stays singular. In French, an ennui is a countable problem, hassle, or worry. When you experience general "trouble," French speakers use the plural des ennuis to refer to these multiple hassles.
I thought ennui meant "boredom". Why does it mean "trouble" here?
The word ennui has two main meanings depending on how it is used. As a singular, uncountable noun, it means "boredom". However, as a countable noun, usually in the plural form des ennuis, it translates to "problems", "difficulties", or "troubles".
Why use the passé composé (J'ai eu) instead of the imparfait (J'avais) for "I had"?
J'ai eu (passé composé) is used here to report a specific, completed event: you experienced a breakdown or a specific issue with the car. If you used J'avais des ennuis (imparfait), it would mean "I was having trouble" or "I used to have trouble" over an ongoing, unspecified period in the past.

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