Explicamos el propósito.

Explicamos is the first person plural form of the verb explicar.

That means it goes with we:

• (Nosotros) explicamos = we explain
• It can also mean we explained, because this form is the same in the present tense and the preterite.

So, on its own, explicamos is technically ambiguous. Context tells you whether it means:

• we explain / are explaining
• or we explained

In many learning examples, it is understood as we explain unless the surrounding context clearly places it in the past.

Spanish often leaves out subject pronouns when they are not needed.

So instead of saying:

• Nosotros explicamos el propósito

Spanish very commonly just says:

• Explicamos el propósito

The verb ending -amos already tells you the subject is we.

Including nosotros is possible, but it usually adds emphasis, contrast, or clarity:

• Nosotros explicamos el propósito, no ellos.
  We explain the purpose, not them.

It can mean either one.

For -ar verbs like explicar, the present and preterite forms for nosotros are sometimes identical:

• explicamos = we explain
• explicamos = we explained

You need context to know which meaning is intended.

For example:

• Cada mañana explicamos el propósito.
  = Every morning we explain the purpose.

• Ayer explicamos el propósito.
  = Yesterday we explained the purpose.

Because Spanish usually uses an article when talking about a specific noun.

Here, el propósito means the purpose.

So:

• Explicamos el propósito. = We explain the purpose.

If you said just propósito by itself, it would usually sound incomplete in normal Spanish.

Spanish uses articles a lot, often more than English does. If the speaker has a particular purpose in mind, el is the natural choice.

Spanish often prefers the definite article when the noun is understood in context.

So el propósito does not necessarily sound overly specific in the way the purpose sometimes can in English. It can simply refer to the purpose being discussed.

For example, if a teacher, speaker, or writer is talking about a project, lesson, or plan, el propósito naturally means the purpose of that thing.

The accent mark shows where the stress goes:

• pro-PÓ-si-to

Without the accent, Spanish stress rules would make you stress a different syllable, which would be incorrect.

Also, propósito is an esdrújula word, meaning the stress falls on the third-to-last syllable, and those words always take a written accent in Spanish.

A simple pronunciation guide is:

• explicamos → eks-plee-KA-mos
• el → el
• propósito → pro-PO-si-to

A more Spain-oriented pronunciation would be roughly:

• ehks-plee-KA-mos el pro-PO-si-to

A few useful notes:

• In explicamos, the stress is on -ca-
• In propósito, the stress is on -pó-
• The c in explicamos is pronounced like k because it comes before a
• The s sound in propósito is just a normal s

They are similar, but not always identical.

• propósito = purpose, intention, aim
• objetivo = objective, goal, target

Very often they overlap, but the nuance can differ:

• propósito often focuses on why something is done
• objetivo often focuses on what result you want to achieve

So in a sentence like Explicamos el propósito, purpose is usually best understood as the reason or intention behind something.

Because explicar usually takes a direct object.

So you say:

• explicar algo = to explain something
• explicar el propósito = to explain the purpose

You do not normally say:

• explicar de el propósito ❌
• explicar sobre el propósito ❌

Those sound unnatural here.

If you want to mention to whom something is explained, then you add an indirect object:

• Les explicamos el propósito.
  We explain the purpose to them.

Yes, but the basic order here is very natural:

• Explicamos el propósito.

That is a normal verb + object structure.

You could change the order for emphasis, but it would usually require a different structure, for example:

• El propósito lo explicamos después.
  The purpose, we explain later.

That sounds more marked and is not the neutral version.

So for a standard sentence, Explicamos el propósito is the most straightforward choice.

Not exactly, though they are close.

• Explicamos el propósito can mean we explain or we are explaining, depending on context.
• Estamos explicando el propósito specifically means we are explaining the purpose right now or around now.

Spanish often uses the simple present where English might prefer a continuous form.

So in many situations, Explicamos el propósito can sound perfectly natural even when English would say we are explaining the purpose.

Yes, that is grammatically correct.

But in ordinary Spanish, nosotros is often unnecessary because explicamos already tells you the subject.

So:

• Explicamos el propósito. = more neutral and natural in many contexts
• Nosotros explicamos el propósito. = more emphatic

You might use nosotros if you want contrast:

• Nosotros explicamos el propósito; ellos presentan los resultados.
  We explain the purpose; they present the results.