German Phrase
Was hat das Problem verursacht?
Meaning
This question asks for the cause of a specific problem. It is the perfect‑tense form of 'verursachen' and expects an answer that identifies the factor or event that led to the issue.
When to use
Use it when troubleshooting technical glitches, discussing a mishap at work, or any situation where you need to pinpoint the origin of a problem.
✦Grammar Breakdown
WashatdasProblemverursacht?
Was (interrogative pronoun)
Used to ask 'what' in a question; it stays unchanged regardless of case.
hat (auxiliary verb)
Third‑person singular of 'haben' used to form the present perfect tense.
das Problem (noun phrase)
Definite article 'das' + neuter noun 'Problem'; functions as the direct object.
verursacht (past participle)
Past participle of 'verursachen' (to cause); placed at the end of the clause in perfect tense.
Word order in yes/no and wh‑questions
In German wh‑questions the finite verb follows the interrogative word directly (Was hat …?).
🗨In Conversation
Was hat das Problem verursacht?
What caused the problem?
Der Stromausfall hat das Problem verursacht.
The power outage caused the problem.
✕Common Mistakes
Was war das Problem verursacht?
Using the simple past 'war' changes the meaning to 'What was the problem?' instead of asking for its cause.
Was hat das Problem verursachen?
In a perfect‑tense question you need the past participle 'verursacht', not the infinitive.
Was hat Problem verursacht?
Dropping the article makes the sentence sound incomplete; German requires the definite article here.
↔Alternatives
Was ist die Ursache des Problems?
What is the cause of the problem?
Wodurch ist das Problem entstanden?
By what did the problem arise?
Wie kam es zu dem Problem?
How did the problem come about?
Cultural Tip
In German business or technical settings, asking directly about the cause is common and expected. Keep the tone neutral; avoid overly informal phrasing like 'Was hat das Problem gemacht?' which sounds ungrammatical. If you need to be more polite, you can preface the question with 'Könnten Sie mir bitte sagen…'.