student asking question

What does "what's the matter" mean? Could you break down the words ("matter") and explain please? When do you use it?

teacher

Native speaker’s answer

Rebecca

"What's the matter" is an idiom that simply means "What's wrong?". You can think of "What's the matter" like "What's the matter (meaning "thing") that is bothering you?" You can use "What's the matter" to ask someone about what is bothering them or what problem they are having. Ex: What's the matter? I saw you crying. Ex: You said you didn't feel well. What's the matter?

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