Schematically, we can say that the substantive problem is most of the time misused, where it is the name problem that would fit.
a problem is a “difficulty that must be resolved to obtain a certain result” and a problem is a “set of problems whose elements are related”. The problem of global warming.
About the name problem, the French Academy writes: “It seems presumptuous to want to make use of it in connection with the difficulties and tasks of our everyday life, or anything that requires a little bit of reflection and consultation. We will not raise the issue of housing or women’s work. We will not question the problem of prison overcrowding or the management of drinking water. We will avoid the problem of overweight, dependence, waste, etc. ”
We will therefore rather speak of political, economic, financial, social problems. Poverty is a glaring problem. Unemployment is a problem that worries many people. The government will have to quickly find a solution to the housing problem.
Moreover, the terms case Where question may sometimes be preferable to the name problem : He is an expert in economic issues. A specialist in legal affairs. It is a delicate, thorny affair. A burning, insoluble question. A serious question. The heart, the crux of the matter. Address, deepen, examine, raise, deal with a question. Social, economic issues. The question of housing.
Depending on the context, the terms boredom, difficulty Where trouble can also replace the noun problem (partly because in this sense the word problem is often used under the influence of English). Money, health, mechanical problems. Material and financial difficulties. Raise difficulties. Overcome, overcome difficulties. Psychological disorders. Vision, behavior, sleep problems.
the tenant of the White House
Question: Journalists regularly refer to the President of the United States as the tenant of the White House. As far as I know, the American president does not pay rent. Why not generalize the use of the terms occupant Where current resident instead of tenant, which seems inappropriate to me?
Reply
This is a figurative job. We find the name tenant in this sense in the Robert and in the computerized French language treasury. We thus have fun, by analogy, to vary our vocabulary. We will also read “the tenant of the Élysée”, that is to say the President of the French Republic, “the tenant of 10 Downing Street”, who is, with Larry the cat, the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, or even “the tenant of the Kremlin ”, or the President of Russia. We also say – more often – “the master of the Kremlin”, in this sense.
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