What does explicar mean?
explicar means to explain in English. It is a irregular -ar verb.
It can also be used with these related meanings: to explain oneself.
Spanish verb guide
Explicar Conjugation in Spanish
Learn explicar, meaning to explain, through verified forms and contextual examples.
irregular-argerund: explicandoparticiple: explicado
Principal forms of explicar
- Infinitive
- explicar
- Gerund
- explicando
- Past participle
- explicado
Explicar conjugation table
Compare the present, preterite, imperfect, and future forms. Reflexive pronouns are included where the verb requires them.
| Pronoun | Present | Preterite | Imperfect | Future |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| yo | explico | expliqué | explicaba | explicaré |
| tú | explicas | explicaste | explicabas | explicarás |
| él / ella / usted | explica | explicó | explicaba | explicará |
| nosotros/as | explicamos | explicamos | explicábamos | explicaremos |
| ellos/as / ustedes | explican | explicaron | explicaban | explicarán |
Pattern notes
- Its forms differ from a fully regular -ar pattern in the preterite.
Examples with explicar
Él me explicó la regla.He explained the rule to me.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Se lo explicaré a ella.I will explain it to her.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Él me explicó el asunto.He explained the matter to me.Tatoeba example · CC BY 2.0 FR
Practice prompts
- Conjugate explicar for yo in the present.
- Use the preterite form for ella.
- Say the nosotros/as imperfect form.
- Write a short sentence in the future.
Practice explicar online
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