How to Say ‘What's wrong?’ in German
Was ist los?
vahs ist lohs
[vahs ist lohs]
💬 Usage Tip: Natural spoken German for asking what the problem is.
🇩🇪 In Germany: You may hear this on the phone from a landlord, caretaker, or repair company.
Phrase Breakdown
Was
[vahs]
what
A question word asking for information.
Was ist los? Das Wasser ist kalt.
What is wrong? The water is cold.
Ist los
ist lohs
is going on
Fixed expression used to ask what is happening or what the issue is.
Ist etwas los?
Is something going on?
Words in this phrase
ist
[ist]
is
Third-person singular of 'sein', meaning 'is'.
Was ist los?
What is wrong?
los
[lohs]
going on / wrong
Used here to ask what is happening or what the problem is.
Was ist los?
What is wrong?
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