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.

explicarte

eks-plee-KAHR-teh

Verb (Infinitive + Pronoun)A1regular ar

to explain to you?informal singular, direct/indirect object

Also:to explain yourself?reflexive use,to clarify your position?reflexive use

Quick Reference

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

💡 Grammar Points

The Meaning of -te

The ending '-te' is the informal pronoun 'you' attached directly to the verb. It tells you who receives the explanation. 'Explicar' means 'to explain'; 'explicarte' means 'to explain to you'.

When to Attach the Pronoun

The pronoun must be attached to the end of the verb when the verb is in the infinitive form (like explicar), the gerund form (explicando), or the affirmative command form (¡Explícate!).

Preterite Spelling Change

The base verb explicar is regular, but it changes 'c' to 'qu' in the 'yo' form of the past tense (preterite) and in all subjunctive forms to keep the hard 'k' sound: yo expliqué.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Separating the Pronoun Incorrectly

Mistake: "No quiero te explicar la situación."

Correction: No quiero explicarte la situación. (When using modal verbs like 'querer' or 'poder', the pronoun must either attach to the infinitive or go before the conjugated verb: *Te quiero explicar*.)

⭐ Usage Tips

Alternative Placement

If you use a helping verb (like 'voy a' or 'quiero'), you have two options: 'Voy a explicarte' (attached) or 'Te voy a explicar' (separated). Both are correct and very common.

✏️ 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

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).