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explicarme

/ex-plee-KAR-meh/

explain to me

A friendly teacher pointing to a colorful map while a student listens attentively.

The teacher clarifies a concept to the student, illustrating the act of explaining something to someone.

explicarme(verb)

A1regular ar

explain to me

?

asking someone to clarify something

Also:

tell me how

?

asking for instructions

📝 In Action

¿Puedes explicarme cómo llegar al hotel?

A1

Can you explain to me how to get to the hotel?

Necesitas explicarme por qué llegaste tarde.

A2

You need to explain to me why you arrived late.

Él va a explicarme el plan mañana.

A1

He is going to explain the plan to me tomorrow.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • aclararme (to clarify for me)
  • enseñarme (to show/teach me)

Antonyms

  • ocultarme (to hide from me)
  • confundirme (to confuse me)

Common Collocations

  • querer explicarme – to want to explain to me
  • intentar explicarme – to try to explain to me
  • sin explicarme – without explaining to me

💡 Grammar Points

Pronoun Attachment

In Spanish, words like 'me' (meaning 'to me') stick to the end of verbs that are in their basic 'ar/er/ir' form (the infinitive).

Placement Choice

You can say 'me quieres explicar' OR 'quieres explicarme.' Both mean the same thing, but 'explicarme' is very common when the explanation is the main point.

❌ Common Pitfalls

The 'to' trap

Mistake: "explicar a me"

Correction: explicarme

⭐ Usage Tips

Sounding Natural

Use '¿Podrías explicarme...?' to sound more polite when asking for help.

A person gesturing with their hands while speaking to a group of friends to clarify a point.

A person uses gestures and expressions to explain their own thoughts and actions to others.

explicarme(verb)

B1reflexive ar

to explain myself

?

clarifying one's own thoughts or actions

,

to make myself clear

?

ensuring the listener understands

📝 In Action

No sé si acabo de explicarme bien.

B1

I don't know if I just made myself clear.

Déjame explicarme antes de enojarte.

B1

Let me explain myself before you get angry.

Word Connections

Synonyms

  • expresarme (to express myself)

Common Collocations

  • déjame explicarme – let me explain myself
  • difícil de explicarme – hard for me to explain myself

💡 Grammar Points

Reflexive Use

Here, 'me' means 'myself.' You are the one doing the explaining and the one being explained.

⭐ Usage Tips

Checking Understanding

Use '¿Me explico?' as a quick way to ask 'Am I making sense?' or 'Do you follow me?'

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesme explicaran
yome explicara
túme explicaras
vosotrosme explicarais
nosotrosme explicáramos
él/ella/ustedme explicara

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesme expliquen
yome explique
túme expliques
vosotrosme expliquéis
nosotrosme expliquemos
él/ella/ustedme explique

indicative

preterite

ellos/ellas/ustedesme explicaron
yome explicaste
túme explicaste
vosotrosme explicasteis
nosotrosme explicamos
él/ella/ustedme explicó

imperfect

ellos/ellas/ustedesme explicaban
yome explicaba
túme explicabas
vosotrosme explicabais
nosotrosme explicábamos
él/ella/ustedme explicaba

present

ellos/ellas/ustedesme explican
yome explico
túme explicas
vosotrosme explicáis
nosotrosme explicamos
él/ella/ustedme explica
View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: explicarme

Question 1 of 2

What is the difference between 'explicar' and 'explicarme'?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

explicar(to explain) - verb
explicación(explanation) - noun
explicable(explainable) - adjective

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is 'me' at the end of the word?

In Spanish, when a verb is in its infinitive form (ending in -ar, -er, or -ir), object pronouns like 'me' must be attached to the end of the verb to form a single word.

Does 'explicarme' ever change?

If you change the person receiving the explanation, the ending changes: 'explicarte' (to explain to you), 'explicarle' (to explain to him/her).