Explicárselo

Explicárselo is a Spanish non-finite verb form formed by the verb explicar (to explain) plus a set of clitic pronouns: se and lo. The se represents an indirect object (to him, her, you formal, or to them, depending on context) and the lo represents a direct object (it). When le/les combines with lo/la/los/las, the indirect pronoun changes to se, yielding the common cluster explicárselo, which means “to explain it to him/her/you (formal)” or, more broadly, “to explain it to someone.”

Formation and usage

Explicárselo is attached to the infinitive form, and can also appear with other non-finite forms (e.g., explicárselo a alguien) or in verb phrases with futuro or pretérito (Voy a explicárselo, Quise explicárselo). In written Spanish, the cluster is one word: explicárselo, with an accent on the syllable corresponding to the original stress of explicar (explicár-se-lo). The indirect pronoun se stands for le/les in forms like to him, to her, to you (formal), or to them.

Examples

- Quiero explicárselo. (I want to explain it to him/her/you.)

- Voy a explicárselo mañana. (I’m going to explain it to him/her/you tomorrow.)

- ¿Podrías explicárselo tú? (Could you explain it to him/her/you?)

Variations

The same clitic pattern applies with different gender/number: explicársela (to explain it to her), explicárselos (to explain them to him/her/you), explicárnoselo (to explain it to us), etc. The form is widely used with tú, usted, vosotros, ustedes variants through the indirect object pronoun.