sinkokuna mondai ga arimasu.

There is a serious problem.

Breakdown of sinkokuna mondai ga arimasu.

• が: subject particle
• 問もん題だい: problem
• ある: to exist/have
• 深刻しんこくな: serious

Questions & Answers about sinkokuna mondai ga arimasu.

What type of adjective is 深刻な, and why does it require な before 問題?

深刻な is a な-adjective (also called a “na-adjective”). Unlike い-adjectives (which end in い, like 大きい), な-adjectives:

• Behave more like nouns when they modify another noun.
• Require the particle な to connect to the noun that follows.
  So you attach な to 深刻 and then add 問題, giving 深刻な問題 (“a serious problem”).

How do な-adjectives differ from い-adjectives in Japanese?

Key differences:

• Ending:
  
  • い-adjectives end with い (e.g. 暑い, 楽しい).
  • な-adjectives do not end with い in their base form (e.g. 静か, 複雑, 深刻).
• Noun modification:
  
  • い-adjective
    • noun: 大きい家
  • な-adjective
    • な + noun: 静かな部屋
• Adverbial form:
  
  • い-adj. → replace い with く: 早く歩く
  • な-adj. → add に: 静かに話す
• Conjugation:
  
  • Past tense:
    
    • い-adj.: 暑い → 暑かった
    • な-adj.: 静か → 静かだった

What is the function of が in this sentence?

In the existential construction X が あります/います, が marks X as the subject or the thing that exists. Here, 問題が indicates “the problem” is what exists:
深刻な問題があります。
(“There is a serious problem.”)

Why is あります used instead of います?

Japanese distinguishes animate vs. inanimate existence:

• います is used for animate beings (people, animals).
• あります is used for inanimate things or abstract concepts (objects, events, problems).
  Since 問題 (problem) is abstract/inanimate, we use あります.

How can I turn this statement into a question?

Simply add the question particle か at the end:
深刻な問題がありますか？
This means “Is there a serious problem?” or “Do we have a serious problem?”

How can I make the sentence negative?

Use the negative form ありません in place of あります:
深刻な問題がありません。
This means “There is no serious problem.” or “We don’t have a serious problem.”

Can I make it more polite than あります?

• あります is already polite (formal).
• For extra humility/politeness, you can use ございます in a business or very formal context:
  深刻な問題がございます。

Can I use this structure with other nouns?

Yes. Any noun you want to express as “existing” can follow this pattern. Examples:

• 大きな誤りがあります。 (“There is a big mistake.”)
• 面白い質問があります。 (“I have an interesting question.”)
• 新しい情報があります。 (“There is new information.”)

What’s the difference between 深刻な問題があります and 問題が深刻です?

• 深刻な問題があります。 uses the existential verb あります to say “There is a serious problem.” It focuses on existence.
• 問題が深刻です。 uses the copula です to state “The problem is serious.” It focuses on describing the problem’s quality.