explicar Preterite Conjugation
explicar — to explain
The preterite of explicar has a spelling change only in the 'yo' form: expliqué.
explicar Preterite Forms
When to Use the Preterite
Use the preterite to describe a specific time you explained something in the past, like 'Yesterday, I explained the project.'
Notes on explicar in the Preterite
Only the 'yo' form is irregular (expliqué) to maintain the hard 'k' sound. All other forms (explicaste, explicó, etc.) are regular.
Example Sentences
Ayer le expliqué todo a mi madre.
Yesterday I explained everything to my mother.
yo
¿Le explicaste el problema al jefe?
Did you explain the problem to the boss?
tú
El guía nos explicó la historia del castillo.
The guide explained the history of the castle to us.
él/ella/usted
Common Mistakes
Mistake: Writing 'explicé' without the 'qu'.
Correct: expliqué
Why: Without the 'qu', 'explicé' would be pronounced 'ex-plee-seh', which doesn't match the verb's root sound.
Master Spanish verbs in context
Memorizing tables only gets you so far. Read 200+ illustrated and narrated Spanish stories to see verbs like 'explicar' used naturally — in the tenses you're learning.
Related Tenses
Present
yo: explico
The present tense of explicar is regular: explico, explicas, explica, explicamos, explicáis, explican.
Imperfect
yo: explicaba
The imperfect of explicar is regular: explicaba, explicabas, explicaba, explicábamos, explicabais, explicaban.
Future
yo: explicaré
The future tense of explicar is fully regular: explicaré, explicarás, explicará, explicaremos, explicaréis, explicarán.
Conditional
yo: explicaría
The conditional of explicar is regular: explicaría, explicarías, explicaría, explicaríamos, explicaríais, explicarían.
Present Subjunctive
yo: explique
The present subjunctive of explicar features a 'c' to 'qu' spelling change: explique, expliques, explique, expliquemos, expliquéis, expliquen.
Imperfect Subjunctive
yo: explicara
The imperfect subjunctive of explicar is regular: explicara, explicaras, explicara, explicáramos, explicarais, explicaran.
Affirmative Imperative
yo: explica
The affirmative imperative of explicar uses 'explica' (tú) and 'explique' (usted).
Negative Imperative
yo: no expliques
The negative imperative of explicar always uses the 'qu' spelling change: no expliques, no explique, no expliquen.