How to Say ‘What seems to be the problem?’ in German
Was stimmt denn nicht?
vahs shtimt den nikht
[vahs shtimt den nikht]
💬 Usage Tip: [denn] in questions often adds a natural [so/then] tone, not a literal [then]. You can reuse it in calm follow-up questions like [Was ist denn passiert?] or [Wo sind wir denn jetzt?].
Phrase Breakdown
Was
[vahs]
what
Question word used to ask for information.
Was stimmt denn nicht mit dem Preis?
What exactly is wrong with the price?
stimmt
[shtimt]
is correct / is the matter
From 'stimmen'; here it asks what is wrong or what the problem is.
Was stimmt denn nicht mit dem Taxameter?
What exactly is wrong with the meter?
denn
[den]
then / exactly
A modal particle that softens or adds a natural conversational tone to a question.
Was stimmt denn nicht an der Rechnung?
What exactly is wrong with the bill?
nicht
[nikht]
not
Negation word used to say something is not the case.
Das ist nicht fair.
That is not fair.
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