explicarte

eks-plee-KAHR-tehe(k)spliˈkaɾte

“explicarte” means “to explain to you” in Spanish (informal singular, direct/indirect object).

to explain to you

Also: to explain yourself, to clarify your position

A1regular ar

A high quality simple colorful storybook illustration showing a person leaning forward, using animated hand gestures to clearly explain a point to another person who is seated opposite and listening intently.

infinitiveexplicar

past Participleexplicado

gerundexplicando

📝 In Action

Necesito explicarte por qué llegué tarde.

I need to explain to you why I arrived late.

¿Puedes explicarte un poco más sobre ese tema?

Can you explain yourself a little more about that topic?

Antes de decidir, quiero explicarte mis razones.

Before deciding, I want to explain my reasons to you.

Word Connections

Synonyms

aclararte (to clarify for you)
detallarte (to detail for you)

Antonyms

ocultarte (to hide from you)
callarte (to keep quiet)

Common Collocations

Voy a explicarte – I am going to explain to you
Debo explicarte – I must explain to you

🔄 Conjugations

subjunctive

imperfect

yoexplicara/explicase

él/ella/ustedexplicara/explicase

nosotrosexplicáramos/explicásemos

vosotrosexplicarais/explicaseis

ellos/ellas/ustedesexplicaran/explicasen

túexplicaras/explicases

present

yoexplique

él/ella/ustedexplique

nosotrosexpliquemos

vosotrosexpliquéis

ellos/ellas/ustedesexpliquen

túexpliques

indicative

preterite

yoexpliqué

él/ella/ustedexplicó

nosotrosexplicamos

vosotrosexplicasteis

ellos/ellas/ustedesexplicaron

túexplicaste

imperfect

yoexplicaba

él/ella/ustedexplicaba

nosotrosexplicábamos

vosotrosexplicabais

ellos/ellas/ustedesexplicaban

túexplicabas

present

yoexplico

él/ella/ustedexplica

nosotrosexplicamos

vosotrosexplicáis

ellos/ellas/ustedesexplican

túexplicas

View All Tenses & Moods →

✏️ Quick Practice

Quick Quiz: explicarte

Question 1 of 1

Which sentence correctly uses the pronoun 'te' separate from the verb 'explicar'?

📚 More Resources

👥 Word Family▼

explicación(explanation) — Noun

explicativo(explanatory) — Adjective

explicable(explainable) — Adjective

🎵 Rhymes▼

preguntarteayudarte

📚 Etymology▼

The root verb *explicar* comes from the Latin verb *explicāre*, meaning 'to unfold,' 'unroll,' or 'make clear.' The idea of explaining something is like unfolding a complex idea so others can see it clearly.

First recorded: 13th century (in Spanish)

Cognates (Related words)

English: explicatePortuguese: explicar

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is 'explicarte' a reflexive verb?

It can be! If you use 'explicarte' to mean 'to explain something to yourself' or, more commonly, 'to explain your own actions/behavior,' it is acting reflexively. For example: 'Tienes que explicarte' means 'You have to explain yourself/clarify your position.'

How do I say 'to explain to him/her'?

You would use the pronoun 'le' instead of 'te'. The word becomes 'explicar**le**' (to explain to him/her/it/you formal). For example: 'Quiero explicarle la situación a mi jefe' (I want to explain the situation to my boss).