Explicaron

Explicaron is a verb form in Spanish, specifically the third-person plural of the preterite tense of explicar, meaning to explain. It corresponds to “they explained” and, in contexts where ustedes is the subject, also to “you all explained.” Como una forma regular del grupo -ar, explicaron se obtiene al tomar la raíz explic- y añadir el sufijo -aron (explicaron). The present forms are expico, explicas, explica, explicamos, explicáis, explican; the preterite forms for otros sujetos include expliqué, explicaste, explicó, explicamos, explicasteis, explicaron.

The preterite (pretérito perfecto simple) se use to describe actions completed at a definite time in the past. Thus explicaron typically signals that the act of explaining occurred and finished in the past, as opposed to the imperfect explicaban, which would describe a continued or repeated explanation in the past. The form is also used in reported speech, for example: “Ellos explicaron que llegarían tarde.”

Usage notes: explicaron can appear in descriptive, narrative, or instructional contexts, often introducing reasons, procedures, or clarifications. It agrees with a plural subject (ellos, ellas, ustedes). In regions where ustedes is common, explicaron is the natural third-person plural form for past narration.

Etymology: the verb explain derives from Latin explicare, from ex- “out” and plicare “to fold,” historically meaning to unfold or unfold an explanation.

See also: explicar (the base verb), other tenses and moods for explicar, and related verbs such as aclarar or describir that convey clarifications or descriptions.