How to Say "Problem" in Hebrew

בעיה

be'aya

The Hebrew word for "problem" is בעיה (be'aya).

בעיה is a noun meaning a difficulty. You can also use the related adjective בעייתי, which means "problematic".

Meaning: difficulty (noun)

How does it change in a sentence?

בעיה is a feminine noun. The plural form is בעיות.

be'aya

The common phrase אין בעיה is used to mean "no problem" or "it's okay," often as a response to someone thanking you or making a request.

The word בעיה actually traces back to a concept of 'needing' or 'requesting' something, implying that a problem is simply a gap between what you have and what you require.
Describing a person as בעייתי in Hebrew often functions as a social label implying a flawed personality or a troublemaker rather than someone who is simply experiencing a hard time.
In modern slang, instead of saying אין בעיה to mean 'no problem', you might hear the word סבבה (sababa) to express that everything is 'cool' or 'fine'.

יש לי בעיה ברכב.
I have a problem with my car.
This sentence is useful for expressing a problem with a vehicle using בעיה.
Tatoeba #1413914 by MrShoval, translation #265491 by CK
האם יש כאן בעיה?
Is there any problem here?
This sentence is useful for asking if a problem exists in a specific location using בעיה.
Tatoeba #2755420 by fekundulo, translation #2755416 by fekundulo
הוא פתר כל בעיה.
He solved every problem.
This sentence is useful for describing someone who solved every בעיה.
Tatoeba #6024734 by fekundulo, translation #1192284 by Talonmalon
214 more sentences on Tatoeba

Noam and Noa are talking about a computer error at work.

נועם Noam

יש בעיה במחשב שלי.
Yesh be'aya ba-machshev sheli.
There is a problem with my computer.
נועה Noa

מה הבעיה?
Ma ha-be'aya?
What is the problem?
נועם Noam

הוא לא נדלק.
Hu lo nidlak.
It won't turn on.
נועה Noa

אני אנסה לעזור לך.
Ani anase la'azor lekha.
I will try to help you.

Sources

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