Spanish - Explaining a Problem

Hay un problema con ___.

There's a problem with ___.

Meaning: There is a problem with ___.

When to use: Use to report directly that something has an issue (device, service, item).

___ no está funcionando bien.

___ isn't working properly.

Meaning: ___ is not working well.

When to use: Explain that something is malfunctioning in a conversational way.

Algo salió mal con ___.

Something went wrong with ___.

Meaning: Something went wrong with ___.

When to use: Describe an unexpected result or a failure that occurred.

No puedo hacer que ___ funcione.

I can't get ___ to work.

Meaning: I can't make ___ work.

When to use: Say this when you tried but cannot get a device or feature to function.

Tip: Beginners sometimes say 'No puedo hacer funcionar'—keep the structure 'hacer que ___ funcione.'

No recibí ___.

I didn't receive ___.

Meaning: I didn't receive ___.

When to use: Explain that an expected package, message, or information did not arrive.

Esto ya había pasado antes.

This has happened before.

Meaning: This had happened before.

When to use: Use to explain that the issue is recurring or not the first time.

Antes estaba bien, pero ahora ___.

It was fine before, but now ___.

Meaning: It was fine before, but now ___.

When to use: Describe a recent change that caused the problem.

Dice ___.

It says ___.

Meaning: It says ___.

When to use: Report exactly what appears on a screen, message, or warning.

Tip: Don't paraphrase error codes—repeat them exactly (e.g., 'dice "Error 502"').

¿Podrías revisarlo por mí?

Could you check it for me?

Meaning: Could you check it for me?

When to use: Polite request to ask someone (tú) to review or inspect the problem.

¿Qué hago ahora?

What should I do now?

Meaning: What should I do now?

When to use: Ask for next steps or guidance when you don't know how to proceed.

El problema empezó cuando ___.

The issue started when ___.

Meaning: The problem started when ___.

When to use: Explain the moment or action after which the issue began.

Intenté ___, pero no sirvió.

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

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

When to use: Report an attempted solution that failed to fix the issue.

Tip: Beginners sometimes use present tense for both parts; in Spanish prefer the past attempt + 'pero no sirvió.'

Sigue ___.

It keeps ___.

Meaning: It keeps ___ (doing something).

When to use: Describe a repeated or continuing problem, often with a gerund.