Japanese - Explaining a Problem

___に問題があります。

___ ni mondai ga arimasu.

There's a problem with ___.

Meaning: There's a problem with ___.

When to use: Use this to tell someone there is a problem with an object, service, or situation. Put the thing that has the problem before に (e.g., パソコンに問題があります。).

Tip: Don't use が for the affected object here; use に to mark what has the problem.

___がうまく動きません。

___ ga umaku ugokimasen.

___ isn't working properly.

Meaning: ___ isn't working properly.

When to use: Good for machines, apps, or systems. Put the thing that isn't functioning with が (e.g., アプリがうまく動きません。).

Tip: Beginners sometimes say に動きません; use が for the subject that fails to work.

___で何か問題が起きました。

___ de nanika mondai ga okimashita.

Something went wrong with ___.

Meaning: Something went wrong with ___.

When to use: Put a process, task, or situation before で (e.g., 手続きで何か問題が起きました。) when an unexpected negative result occurred.

___をうまく動かせません。

___ o umaku ugokasemasen.

I can't get ___ to work.

Meaning: I can't get ___ to work.

When to use: Use when you try to operate a machine or app but cannot make it work. Put the item being operated before を (e.g., ドアをうまく動かせません。).

___が届いていません。

___ ga todoite imasen.

I didn't receive ___.

Meaning: I didn't receive ___.

When to use: Use for missing emails, packages, or documents. Put the expected item before が (e.g., メールが届いていません。).

前にも同じことがありました。

Mae ni mo onaji koto ga arimashita.

This has happened before.

Meaning: This has happened before.

When to use: Use to tell someone that the same problem occurred previously, which can be important information for diagnosing repeat issues.

前は大丈夫でしたが、今は___。

Mae wa daijōbu deshita ga, ima wa ___.

It was fine before, but now ___.

Meaning: It was fine before, but now ___.

When to use: Use this to explain a recent change. Put the current problem after the comma (e.g., 前は大丈夫でしたが、今は動きません。).

___と出ています。

___ to dete imasu.

It says ___.

Meaning: It says ___.

When to use: Use this to report an error or warning message you see on a screen. Put the message content before と (e.g., エラー404と出ています。).

確認してもらえますか。

Kakunin shite moraemasu ka.

Could you check it for me?

Meaning: Could you check it for me?

When to use: A polite request asking someone to check the problem. Use this in customer service or with a colleague (e.g., 確認してもらえますか。).

これからどうすればいいですか。

Kore kara dō sureba ii desu ka.

What should I do now?

Meaning: What should I do now?

When to use: Ask this when you want advice on next steps after a problem. It's polite and useful in support conversations (e.g., これからどうすればいいですか。).

___ときから、この問題が起きています。

___ toki kara, kono mondai ga okite imasu.

The issue started when ___.

Meaning: The issue started when ___.

When to use: Explain when a problem began by placing an event in plain form before とき (e.g., アップデートしたときから、この問題が起きています。).

___てみましたが、直りませんでした。

___ te mimashita ga, naorimasen deshita.

I tried to ___, but it didn't help.

Meaning: I tried to ___, but it didn't help.

When to use: Report an attempted fix that failed by using the て-form + みましたが (e.g., 再起動してみましたが、直りませんでした。).

何度も___ます。

Nando mo ___ masu.

It keeps ___.

Meaning: It keeps ___.

When to use: Describe a repeated problem by putting a verb stem before ます (e.g., 何度も止まります → 何度も止まります - often you'll say a full verb: アプリが何度もフリーズします。).