Spanish Phrase
Tenemos un problema técnico.
Meaning
This sentence means ‘We have a technical problem.’ It is a straightforward way to alert a colleague, client, or support team that something in the system, equipment, or software is not working as expected.
When to use
Use it in professional or informal settings when a technical issue arises—team meetings, customer‑service calls, email updates, or on‑site troubleshooting. It conveys the problem clearly without assigning blame.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Tenemosunproblematécnico.
Tenemos (present of tener)
‘Tenemos’ is the first‑person plural present of ‘tener’ (to have) and is used for ‘we have’.
un (indefinite article)
‘un’ is the masculine singular indefinite article, used before masculine nouns.
problema (masculine noun)
Although it ends in –a, ‘problema’ is masculine, so it takes ‘un’ and masculine adjectives.
técnico (adjective agreement)
‘técnico’ is a masculine singular adjective that must agree in gender and number with ‘problema’; note the accent on the first ‘e’.
Accent on técnico
The accent marks the stressed syllable (téc‑) and distinguishes it from the homograph ‘tecnico’ (incorrect).
🗨In Conversation
Tenemos un problema técnico.
We have a technical problem.
¿Qué está fallando exactamente?
What is failing exactly?
✕Common Mistakes
Tenemos una problema técnico.
‘Problema’ is masculine; the correct article is ‘un’.
Tenemos un problema tecnico.
Missing accent; the stress must be on the first syllable: ‘técnico’.
Tengo un problema técnico.
‘Tengo’ is first‑person singular; the sentence refers to a group, so use ‘tenemos’.
↔Alternatives
Hay un problema técnico.
There is a technical problem.
Se ha presentado un problema técnico.
A technical problem has arisen.
Estamos enfrentando un problema técnico.
We are facing a technical problem.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking workplaces, it’s common to state the issue directly but follow up with a solution‑oriented question (e.g., ‘¿Cómo lo solucionamos?’). Remember that ‘problema’ is masculine, so always use ‘un problema’ and masculine adjectives, even though the word ends in –a.