Explicar means "to explain." It's a regular -ar verb, but because it ends in -car, it follows the standard spelling change: c → qu before e. This preserves the "k" sound in the yo preterite (expliqué) and in the present subjunctive.
Present Indicative
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | explico |
| tú | explicas |
| él / ella / usted | explica |
| nosotros / nosotras | explicamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | explican |
Preterite
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | expliqué |
| tú | explicaste |
| él / ella / usted | explicó |
| nosotros / nosotras | explicamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | explicaron |
Imperfect
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | explicaba |
| tú | explicabas |
| él / ella / usted | explicaba |
| nosotros / nosotras | explicábamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | explicaban |
La maestra explicaba la lección con mucha paciencia.
The teacher explained the lesson with a lot of patience.
Future
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | explicaré |
| tú | explicarás |
| él / ella / usted | explicará |
| nosotros / nosotras | explicaremos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | explicarán |
Conditional
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | explicaría |
| tú | explicarías |
| él / ella / usted | explicaría |
| nosotros / nosotras | explicaríamos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | explicarían |
Present Subjunctive
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | explique |
| tú | expliques |
| él / ella / usted | explique |
| nosotros / nosotras | expliquemos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | expliquen |
Necesito que me expliques lo que pasó.
I need you to explain to me what happened.
Imperfect Subjunctive (-ra forms)
| Subject | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | explicara |
| tú | explicaras |
| él / ella / usted | explicara |
| nosotros / nosotras | explicáramos |
| ellos / ellas / ustedes | explicaran |
Imperative
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tú (affirmative) | explica |
| tú (negative) | no expliques |
| usted | explique |
| nosotros | expliquemos |
| ustedes | expliquen |
Non-Finite Forms
- Infinitive: explicar
- Gerund: explicando
- Past participle: explicado
Common Uses
Explicar is used just like English "to explain." The thing being explained is the direct object, and the person receiving the explanation is the indirect object (introduced with a or an indirect-object pronoun).
El médico le explicó el tratamiento al paciente.
The doctor explained the treatment to the patient.
Voy a explicártelo paso a paso.
I'm going to explain it to you step by step.
Related Topics
- Buscar: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete conjugation of the verb buscar — to look for
- Sacar: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete conjugation of the verb sacar — to take out
- Tocar: Full ConjugationA2 — Complete conjugation of the verb tocar — to touch, to play an instrument