Expliquer

Expliquer is a French verb that means to make something clear by giving reasons, details, or demonstrations; to interpret or account for a situation; to describe how something works or why something occurs.

Etymology and related terms: the verb comes from Latin explicare, itself from ex- “out” plus plicare “to fold.” The noun form explication refers to the act or result of explaining, and related adjectives such as explicatif/explicative convey a sense of providing explanation.

Conjugation and forms: expliquers is a regular -er verb with one notable orthographic detail in the present tense: nous expliquons is written with -qu- before the o to preserve the /k/ sound, as in j’explique, tu expliques, il explique, nous expliquons, vous expliquez, ils expliquent. The passé composé is formed with avoir: j’ai expliqué, tu as expliqué, il a expliqué. The past participle is expliqué (with acute accent).

Usage and grammar: expliquer takes a direct object (quelque chose) and often an indirect object introduced by à (à quelqu’un): expliquer quelque chose à quelqu’un. It can also introduce a clause with comment, pourquoi, ou de quelle manière (expliquer comment, expliquer pourquoi). In nuance, expliquer differs from décrire or raconter by aiming to render understanding rather than merely recounting facts.

Examples: « Pouvez-vous m’expliquer comment cela fonctionne ? » and « Ce phénomène peut s’expliquer par un manque de ressources. » Explication is the corresponding noun.