zhèlǐ fāshēng le wèntí.

Chinese often puts time and place before the verb to set the scene.

So in 这里发生了问题, 这里 tells you the location first: here / in this place.

A very natural way to understand the structure is:

• 这里 = here
• 发生了 = happened / occurred
• 问题 = a problem / problems

So the sentence is built like:

• At this place, there occurred a problem

This is a common Chinese word order pattern.

Not necessarily.

Both of these can be correct:

• 这里发生了问题
• 在这里发生了问题

The version without 在 is very natural and concise.
The version with 在 is a little more explicit: a problem happened here / at this place.

With verbs like 发生, omitting 在 is common when the place phrase is at the front.

发生 means to happen or to occur.

It is used for events, incidents, accidents, changes, and problems. For example:

• 发生事情 = something happens
• 发生变化 = changes occur
• 发生问题 = a problem occurs

It is a fairly neutral and somewhat formal verb. In everyday speech, people also often use expressions like 出问题 for to go wrong.

Not in the same way as a normal English object.

In Chinese, 发生 is usually treated as an intransitive verb, meaning it describes something happening rather than someone doing something to an object.

In 这里发生了问题, 问题 is the thing that appeared or occurred. This pattern is often used to introduce a new event or situation:

• 地方 + 发生 + 了 + 事情/问题/事故

So it is better to think of the sentence as:

• Here, a problem occurred

rather than:

• Here happened a problem with problem as a normal object.

Here 了 marks that the event has occurred or came about.

So:

• 这里发生问题 can sound general, habitual, or incomplete in many contexts
• 这里发生了问题 clearly says that a problem did happen

In this sentence, 了 helps present the problem as an actual completed occurrence.

It often gives the feeling of something has happened or a new situation has arisen.

Because this sentence uses a very common Chinese pattern for introducing something that appears, exists, or happens in a place.

Compare these kinds of patterns:

• 这里有问题 = There is a problem here
• 这里来了一个人 = A person came here / Someone came here
• 这里发生了问题 = A problem occurred here

This kind of structure often puts:

• place first
• then verb
• then the new thing/event

So 问题 comes after 发生了 because it is the newly introduced event or situation.

It could be either, depending on context.

Chinese nouns usually do not change form for singular vs. plural the way English nouns do. So 问题 can mean:

• a problem
• problems

In many contexts, English would translate this as a problem occurred here or there was a problem here.

If the speaker wants to be more clearly plural, they might use context or extra words, but often Chinese leaves it unspecified.

They are similar, but the focus is different.

• 这里发生了问题 = a problem occurred here
• 这里有问题 = there is a problem here / something is wrong here

The first emphasizes an event or incident arising.
The second emphasizes the existence of a problem.

For example:

• 系统这里发生了问题 = A problem occurred here in the system
• 系统这里有问题 = There is something wrong here in the system

So 发生了问题 sounds more like something went wrong at some point, while 有问题 sounds more like a current condition.

It is understandable and grammatically fine, but in many everyday situations native speakers might more often say:

• 这里出了问题 = Something went wrong here
• 这里有问题 = There is a problem here

Compared with those:

• 发生了问题 sounds a bit more formal or written
• 出了问题 is very common in speech
• 有问题 is very common when pointing out an issue

So 这里发生了问题 is correct, but depending on context, another expression may sound more natural in casual conversation.

Chinese does not use articles like a or the.

Also, nouns do not always need a measure word, especially in patterns like this one, where a problem/event is being introduced after the verb.

So 问题 by itself is completely normal here.

If you added a measure word, it would sound more specific, for example:

• 这里发生了一个问题

This is possible, but it is usually less natural than 这里发生了问题 unless you really want to highlight one specific problem.

Yes, but the focus changes.

• 这里发生了问题 is the more natural way to introduce the event.
• 问题在这里发生了 puts emphasis on 问题 and often sounds like you are contrasting locations, as in the problem happened here, not somewhere else.

So the original sentence is the more neutral and common version if you are simply reporting what happened.