Learn English – “what problems” or “which problems”

word-usage

I am not sure which of the following sentences is correct

What problems do we need to address?

or

Which problems do we need to address?

They both sound strange to me.

Best Answer

As @BillJ said, "which" is used for an item in a distinct set (it is selective) and "what" is used for items not in distinct sets (it is non-selective), including where those items haven't yet been identified.

This difference is meaning is clear from the dictionary definitions (from Oxford Dictionaries):

what
Determiner
[interrogative determiner] Asking for information specifying something:
"what time is it?"
"do you know what excuse he gave?"

which
Interrogative pronoun & determiner
Asking for information specifying one or more people or things from a definite set:
[as pronoun] "which are the best varieties of grapes for long keeping?"
"which of the suspects murdered him?"
[as determiner] "which way is the wind blowing?"

Both of the sentences in your question could be correct, depending on the context.

You would use "what" if you (and the person/people you're talking to) don't yet know what the problems are. Perhaps you and the person have just started a new project, and you're brainstorming for issues that might arise in the course of that project.

You would use "which" if the problems are already known, and you want to know which of those require addressing (and, by omission, which problems do not require addressing).

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