How to Explain a Small Problem in English and Ask for the Right Help
When you say “It doesn’t work,” the person in front of you has to guess four things at once: what is not working, since when, what you have already tried, and what you want them to do. Most people will not guess. They will ask four questions, and you will answer them one at a time while the line grows behind you.
This guide shows how to answer those four questions before anyone asks them. You build a short message from six small pieces of English, and you use only the pieces the situation needs. It works for a card that will not scan, a booking that never arrived, a machine that stopped, or an app that will not open. It is written for learners at about A2.
Six pieces, one message
Here is the whole toolbox on one page. The example is a key card that stops working at the door of an apartment building.
| Piece | Its job | Frame | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. The thing | says what the problem is about | I’m having a problem with… | I’m having a problem with my key card. |
| 2. What you can see | makes the problem exact | The problem is that… / The … isn’t working. | The problem is that the door doesn’t open. |
| 3. The start | says when it began | It started when… / It started this morning. | It started when I came home. |
| 4. The effect | says why it matters now | Now I can’t… | Now I can’t open the front door. |
| 5. What you tried | saves the listener from repeating your first step | I tried…, but… | I tried it twice, but it still doesn’t work. |
| 6. The request | says what help you want | Could you help me check…? | Could you help me check the card? |
The key card, bus card, headphones, pen and delivery examples in this guide come from the Paul and Emily episode linked at the end; the Wi-Fi, washing machine, printer, ticket and other examples were written for this page.
Put together, that is six short sentences and about fifteen seconds of speaking. It is a good message. It is also a message you will rarely need in full, and the later sections show how to cut it down.
Piece one: name the thing
Start with the object and the word problem. Do not start with a judgement.
- I’m having a problem with my bus card.
- I’m having a problem with this app.
- I’m having a problem with my booking.
- I’m having a problem with the washing machine.
A first version many learners say is “My card is bad.” The listener understands you, but bad could mean damaged, old, expired, or missing information, and neither of you knows which yet. I’m having a problem with my key card says only what you know.
Mind the small word a. I have problem with my card is a very common slip. Say I have a problem with my card, or, for something happening right now, I’m having a problem with my card. Both are natural; the second sounds a little more immediate.
Piece two: say what you can see, not what you guess
After the thing, say what is happening in plain words. Two frames do most of the work.
- The problem is that the door doesn’t open.
- The problem is that it won’t scan.
- The card isn’t working.
Compare a guess with an observation:
| A guess | What you can see |
|---|---|
| The card is broken. | The card isn’t working. |
| The machine ate my ticket. | The ticket didn’t come out. |
| The app is wrong. | The app says my booking is confirmed, but I have no message. |
You do not need a technical explanation. If you do not know the cause, do not invent one. A wrong guess can send the other person in the wrong direction, and it can sound like blame.
Piece three: when it started, not why
Time is useful because it helps the other person look for what changed. Use It started when… with an event, or a simple time phrase.
- It started when I came home.
- It started this morning.
- It stopped scanning this morning.
Notice what these sentences do not say. It started when I came home does not say that coming home caused the problem. It only places the problem in time. Compare it with It started because I came home, which does claim a cause, and a strange one. Keep when for time and save because for reasons you really know.
If someone asks Did it work yesterday?, answer the question in two short sentences: Yes, it worked yesterday. It started this morning. You do not need to repeat the whole message.
Piece four: Now I can’t…
This is the piece that shows why the problem matters in this moment, and it is the shortest.
- Now I can’t open the front door.
- Now I can’t enter through the gate.
- Now I can’t hear the recording clearly.
- Now I can’t join my online class.
If the effect is obvious, you can skip it. When the listener might not see the importance (a quiet app, a locked door at midnight, a ticket for a train that leaves in ten minutes), this one sentence changes how fast people respond.
Piece five: what you tried, only if you tried something
One safe, simple step is worth mentioning, because it stops the listener from suggesting the very first thing you already did.
- I tried it twice, but it still doesn’t work.
- I tried it again, but it still doesn’t work.
- I tried reconnecting them, but the right side is still silent.
Say the sentence in two chunks: I tried it twice / but it still doesn’t work. The first chunk says what you did and the second says the result, so a small pause in the middle helps the listener. If you did not try anything yet, leave this piece out. Do not invent a step just to fill the pattern.
Piece six: ask for the exact help
The last piece turns a complaint into a request. Compare these:
- Help me. This is fine in an emergency, when short and direct is right. At a normal desk it does not say what action you want.
- Could you help me with this? This is polite, and it works when the word this is obvious.
- Could you help me check the card? This names the action, so it is easier to say yes to.
- Could you tell me what to do next? Use this when you do not know the right next step. Asking for the next step is often better than pretending you know the solution.
When the other person is busy or there are several problems around, name the thing again: check the card, check the booking, check the connection.
Which pieces do you really need?
A smaller problem needs a smaller message. Here are three sizes of the same pattern. The pen is a short model; the washing machine and the Wi-Fi are written for this page.
| Size | Message |
|---|---|
| Two pieces | I’m having a problem with this pen. It’s out of ink. Could I borrow one? |
| Four pieces | I’m having a problem with the washing machine. It stopped in the middle of the cycle, and now I can’t open the door. Could you help me check it? |
| Six pieces | I’m having a problem with the Wi-Fi in my room. The problem is that my laptop connects, but no pages open. It started this morning. Now I can’t join my online class. I restarted my laptop, but it still doesn’t work. Could you help me check the connection? |
A useful filter for every detail: does it help the person understand the problem, the effect, or the next action? The time you left work and what you bought on the way home do not. The fact that it worked yesterday does.
When the front desk gives you a new fact
The message is not a speech you finish before the other person speaks. Real conversations move, and the best message changes when the information changes. Read this dialogue and watch what the caller does each time the desk adds something. Written for this page, not from the podcast.
You: Hi. I’m having a problem with the Wi-Fi in my room.
Front desk: I’m sorry to hear that. What’s happening?
You: The problem is that my laptop connects, but no pages open. It started this morning.
Front desk: Did it work last night?
You: Yes, it worked last night.
Front desk: Are you using the network called Guest?
You: Yes. I tried it again, but it still doesn’t work.
Front desk: On your floor, guests use a second network, called Guest-Upper.
You: Oh, I didn’t know that. I’ll try Guest-Upper now. If it doesn’t work, could you tell me what to do next?
Three things happened. The caller answered a follow-up question (Did it work last night?) without restarting the message. The caller reported what was already tried when the desk suggested a step. And when the desk added a new fact, the caller changed the plan and the request: I’ll try Guest-Upper now. If it doesn’t work, could you tell me what to do next?
The same rule works when the problem becomes bigger. Suppose the caller tries the second network and still cannot connect. Now the useful fact is different, and so is the request: I tried both networks, but I still can’t connect. Could you tell me how to report it? The facts changed, so the message changed.
Do not turn a guess into a fact while you adjust. The package is not in the lobby is something you checked. The driver put it in the wrong place is something you do not know.
Fix the message
The drills in this section are written for this page, not from the podcast. Rewrite each message so a stranger at a help desk could act on it.
- I have problem with card.
- It doesn’t work. (You are standing at a desk with a card, a phone and a laptop.)
- Help me. (A normal help desk, no emergency.)
- My app is bad.
- The machine is broken because the last person pushed it.
- I tried everything, so please just fix it.
Answers
- I’m having a problem with my card. (Add a, add my; I have a problem with my card is also correct.)
- The card isn’t working. (Name the thing, because it could be any of the three.)
- Could you help me check the card? (A named action in a polite request.)
- I’m having a problem with this app. It won’t open. (Say what you can see, not a judgement.)
- The machine isn’t working. (You do not know the cause. If you saw the person push it, you can say that as a separate, observed fact, but do not turn it into the explanation.)
- I tried restarting it twice, but it still doesn’t work. Could you tell me what to do next? (Say what you really tried, then ask for the next step.)
Build a message from facts
Here are the facts. Write a message of four or five short sentences. Leave out whatever the listener does not need.
- The thing: the printer in the library.
- What you see: pages come out blank.
- It started: when you pressed Print at 4 o’clock.
- Effect: you need the form for a class at 5.
- Tried: you checked the paper tray, and it has paper.
- You bought a sandwich at 3:30 and you like this library.
- What you want: a person to look at the printer.
Answer
One good message: I’m having a problem with the printer. The pages come out blank. It started when I pressed Print at 4 o’clock. Now I can’t print my form for class. I checked the paper tray, but it has paper. Could you help me check the printer? The sandwich and the library you like are not used: neither helps the listener understand the problem, the effect or the next action. Yours may be shorter and still correct.
Choose the pieces
For each situation, decide which of the six pieces you would say, and write the message.
- The pen in your hand has run out of ink. You are at a friend’s desk.
- A booking app says your table is confirmed, but you never got a message. You are talking to support.
- Your headphones play sound only on the left side at a listening station. A staff member is nearby.
Answers
Yours may differ. A reasonable answer:
- Pieces 1, 2 and 6: I’m having a problem with this pen. It’s out of ink. Could I borrow one?
- Pieces 1, 2, 5 and 6, maybe 3: I’m having a problem with my booking confirmation. The app says the booking is confirmed, but I didn’t receive the message. I checked my inbox, but it still isn’t there. Could you help me check the booking?
- Pieces 1, 2, 3 and 6: I’m having a problem with these headphones. The right side has no sound. It started when I began the activity. Could you help me check them?
Say it aloud
Choose one small, safe problem from your day, or invent one if you prefer privacy. Speak for 45 to 75 seconds, about 6 to 10 short sentences: name the thing, say what you can see, say when it started, add the effect if it helps, say what you tried, and end with a specific request. Then try again with fewer words: remove one detail that does not help the listener, and keep the request. For an extra challenge, ask a friend to give you one new fact (There is another entrance, The email may take a few minutes) and change your next sentence instead of repeating your message.
What if the problem does not fit the pattern?
Do I need to say all six pieces every time?
No. They are a toolbox, not a script. A pen needs two pieces; a locked door at midnight may need all six. Clear details are better than maximum details.
What if I do not know when it started?
Skip piece three, or say what you do know: I noticed it when I opened the app. Do not guess a time to make the message look complete.
What if I am frustrated?
You can be frustrated and still be specific. The pieces do not require you to sound happy; they only help the conversation move. A calm, exact message is usually answered faster than an angry vague one.
The six pieces at a glance
| Question the listener has | Your piece | Frame |
|---|---|---|
| What is this about? | the thing | I’m having a problem with… |
| What is happening? | what you can see | The problem is that… / The … isn’t working. |
| Since when? | the start | It started when… / It started this morning. |
| Why does it matter now? | the effect | Now I can’t… |
| What have you done? | what you tried | I tried…, but… |
| What do you want me to do? | the request | Could you help me check…? / Could you tell me what to do next? |
Before you speak at the next counter, ask yourself which of these questions the person will have, and answer only those.
Hear it in a real conversation
Want to hear Paul and Emily work through a key card, a bus card, headphones, a missing delivery and a booking confirmation, with a quiz and a speaking challenge? Listen to the episode and read the transcript in Talk About Your Daily Problems: Explain What Happened and Ask for Help.