The nuance of the question "what's the matter with you?"
Hello there!

I wonder the nuances of the words and sentences in English.

Yesterday, one of my friend asked me to call.
Sometimes, we've chat to discuss about history and language for fun.
But it was sudden to me.
I was concerning him.
So I asked "What's the matter?" to him.
I learned that from school as the question for asking being or stuffs.
Btw he asked me 'something wrong?'.
Surely I answered 'Nope'.

I wonder the nuance of the sentence.
I'm serious.

Thanks for helping me in advance.

Question

The nuance of the question "what's the matter with you?"
Hello there!

I wonder the nuances of the words and sentences in English.

Yesterday, one of my friend asked me to call.
Sometimes, we've chat to discuss about history and language for fun. 
But it was sudden to me.
I was concerning him.
So I asked "What's the matter?" to him.
I learned that from school as the question for asking being or stuffs.
Btw he asked me 'something wrong?'.
Surely I answered 'Nope'.

I wonder the nuance of the sentence.
I'm serious.

Thanks for helping me in advance.

Answer

Whenever  you ask " whats the matter"? most of the time you are expecting something to be wrong or something bad has happened? Or something important or urgent needs to be discussed.

When you ask " whats the matter with you"? most of the time is indicates the person you are asking is at fault. i.e. "I didn't play tennis to the best of my abilities today" " why? whats the matter with you?" "I have a bad back."

Answer

"What's the matter with you?" is sometimes seen as a bit rude, as it is asking what is WRONG with you as a person (normally used when someone does something very wrong or rude). "What's the matter?" is much better, as it's asking what is wrong with the situation, not the person.

Perhaps the best best question to ask in a situation when you're concerned about someone would be "Are you ok?"

Answer

"What's the matter with you" has negative connotations because it implies the person is somehow insane.

"What's the matter" on the other hand is a perfectly normal way of asking if something is bothering someone

Just remember not to add "with you" if asking "what's the matter" unless you are angry at something they did.