expliquer
/ɛks.pli.ke/
The English verb 'explain' is translated in French as expliquer.
You can use it in several ways: Expliquer à quelqu'un (Explain to someone), Expliquer quelque chose à quelqu'un (Explain something to someone) and Expliquer comment faire quelque chose (Explain how to do something).
Meaning: excuse (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
When using expliquer, you must use the preposition à before the person to whom you are explaining something (e.g., expliquer quelque chose à quelqu'un).
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 3 syllables and is pronounced /ɛks.pli.ke/.
Did you know?
- While expliquer means to clarify, its Latin root explicāre literally meant to unfold or flatten out a piece of parchment.
- In many formal French contexts, instead of saying je vais vous expliquer, one might say permettez-moi de vous éclairer, which literally means 'allow me to enlighten you'.
- In French, if you want to say you are explaining yourself or justifying your actions, you often use the reflexive form s'expliquer.
Examples in context
- Il va me l'expliquer.He is going to explain it to me.Tatoeba #3273545 by nimfeo, translation #3273544 by CM
- Je le lui expliquerai.I will explain it to her.Tatoeba #491991 by sacredceltic, translation #247031 by CK
- Je la lui expliquerai.I will explain it to him.Tatoeba #491992 by sacredceltic, translation #476271 by minshirui
- Le professeur va expliquer les règles du jeu.The teacher is going to explain the rules of the game.
- L'avocat tentera d'élucider les circonstances de l'incident.The lawyer will try to explain the circumstances of the incident.
- Le conférencier va préciser les différents aspects du sujet.The speaker will explain the various aspects of the topic.
- Paul veut que tu lui racontes comment ça s'est passé.Paul wants you to explain/tell him how it happened.
- Julie, peux-tu me dire comment ça marche?Julie, can you explain/tell me how it works?
- Elle s'explique rarement quand elle fait des erreurs.She rarely explains herself when she makes mistakes.
- 343 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Manon is late for a meeting with Nathan.
- ManonJe suis désolée, je peux m'expliquer.I am sorry, I can explain myself.
- NathanPourquoi es-tu arrivée en retard ?Why did you arrive late?
- ManonJe vais tout vous expliquer maintenant.I am going to explain everything to you now.
- NathanD'accord, je t'écoute.Alright, I'm listening.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry expliquer, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
