explican

Explican is the third-person plural present indicative form of the Spanish verb explicar, meaning "they explain" or "you all explain" in regions that use ustedes for the second person plural. The verb explicar is transitive and takes a direct object that names what is being explained, for example: "Ellos explican la teoría" (They explain the theory).

Etymology and classification: explicar comes from Latin explicare, formed from ex- “out” and plicare “to fold,” historically meaning to unfold or reveal something in order to explain. In Spanish it belongs to the -ar verb conjugation and forms the standard present tense as explico, explicas, explica, explicamos, explican.

Conjugation and related forms: aside from explican, related forms include explico (I explain), explicas (you explain), explica (he/she/you formal explains), explicamos (we explain), and explicaron (they explained). The present participle is explicando, and the past participle is explicado. The verb also appears in subjunctive forms (explicen) and in imperative forms (explica, explique, expliquen) depending on the subject and formality.

Usage: explican is used when a plural subject is performing the explaining. It commonly appears with a direct object to indicate what is being explained and can be followed by clauses beginning with cómo, por qué, or qué: "Ellos explican cómo funciona" or "Ellos explican por qué ocurrió." It is frequently paired with indirect object pronouns to indicate to whom something is explained (e.g., "a los estudiantes").

See also: explicar, explicación, explicativo.