ده سبب المشكلة.

A common Egyptian pronunciation is:

da sabab el-moshkela

You may also see it written as da sabab il-moshkila in transliteration. Both are just different ways of representing the same general Egyptian pronunciation.

A rough English-friendly guide:

• ده = da
• سبب = sabab
• المشكلة = el-moshkela

ده is the Egyptian Arabic word for this or sometimes that, depending on context.

It corresponds roughly to MSA هذا.

In this sentence, ده is pointing something out and identifying it:

• ده سبب المشكلة = This is the cause/reason of the problem / That’s the cause of the problem

In everyday Egyptian speech, ده is extremely common.

Because Arabic usually does not use a present-tense verb to be in simple sentences like this.

So instead of saying:

• This is the cause of the problem

Egyptian Arabic simply says:

• ده سبب المشكلة

This is a normal nominal sentence. The idea of is is understood automatically.

If you wanted past or future, then Arabic would use a verb:

• كان ده سبب المشكلة = This was the cause of the problem

Because Arabic often expresses X of Y by putting two nouns together in a structure called iḍāfa (the construct phrase).

So:

• سبب المشكلة literally = cause the-problem
• natural English = the cause of the problem

There is no separate word for of here. The relationship is shown just by placing the nouns next to each other.

This pattern is extremely common in Arabic:

• باب البيت = the door of the house
• اسم المدرسة = the name of the school
• سبب المشكلة = the cause of the problem

Because in an iḍāfa structure, the first noun usually does not take الـ.

So Arabic says:

• سبب المشكلة

not:

• السبب المشكلة

Even though سبب has no الـ, the whole phrase can still be definite because the second noun is definite:

• المشكلة = the problem
• therefore سبب المشكلة = the cause of the problem

So the definiteness of the whole phrase comes from the second noun.

Yes, ده is clearly Egyptian (and broadly colloquial) Arabic.

The Modern Standard Arabic version would usually be:

• هذا سبب المشكلة

So the main difference here is:

• Egyptian: ده
• MSA: هذا

The rest of the sentence is very close to MSA, which is why this sentence is easy to recognize even if you know some Standard Arabic.

ده is the masculine singular form, while دي is the feminine singular form in Egyptian Arabic.

Here, the key noun is سبب (cause/reason), and سبب is grammatically masculine, so ده fits naturally.

Compare:

• ده سبب المشكلة = This is the cause of the problem
• دي المشكلة = This is the problem

Since مشكلة is feminine, you would normally use دي with that noun.

Yes. In everyday Egyptian Arabic, ده can often be translated as either this or that depending on context, tone, and situation.

So ده سبب المشكلة could mean:

• This is the cause of the problem
• That’s the cause of the problem

English makes a sharper distinction between this and that than Egyptian Arabic often does in casual speech.

سبب can mean both reason and cause.

In many contexts, both translations work:

• سبب المشكلة = the cause of the problem
• سبب المشكلة = the reason for the problem

If the context is more logical or emotional, English might prefer reason. If it is more direct or physical, English might prefer cause.

Arabic سبب covers both very naturally.

The final ة (taa marbuuTa) in Egyptian Arabic is usually pronounced like -a in pause, so:

• مشكلة → moshkela

That is why you hear:

• el-moshkela

not:

• el-moshkelat or el-moshkelah in normal everyday pronunciation.

This is very common in both Egyptian Arabic and spoken Arabic generally:

• مدرسة → madrasa / madrasa-like ending
• مشكلة → moshkela

Yes, you can.

• ده سبب المشكلة = neutral, natural
• ده هو سبب المشكلة = more emphatic, like This is the cause of the problem or That is the cause of the problem

The word هو here adds emphasis, but it is not required.

In everyday speech, the shorter version ده سبب المشكلة is already completely normal.