Erklären in the Present Tense in German

Introduction

Erklären means “to explain”, and this page covers exactly one thing: erklären in the present tense. The present is the tense German speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for erklären, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the preterite, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about erklären in the present. For example: “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “I explain the rule to my sister every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of erklären exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Erklären in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
ich erkläre
du erklärst
er/sie/es erklärt
wir erklären
ihr erklärt
sie/Sie erklären

Partizip I: erklärend · Partizip II: geerklärt

The present participle is erklärend, which you use as an adjective. The past participle is geerklärt, which you use with haben in the perfect tenses: the ich form of the Perfekt is habe geerklärt, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the Präsens is only one part of how erklären is used.

How the Präsens of erklären is formed

The present of erklären follows the regular weak pattern: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich erkläre, du erklärst, er/sie/es erklärt, wir erklären, ihr erklärt, sie/Sie erklären. The wir and ihr forms are the ones learners most often get wrong, because they expect a change that is not there — learn the six forms as two groups, the singular forms and the plural forms, and the pattern becomes automatic. The stem never changes in the present for this verb, so the only work is the endings.

The present stem also feeds other tenses: the preterite and Konjunktiv II are built from the same family of forms, so learning the present properly makes the rest of the conjugation easier. Partizip I erklärend and Partizip II geerklärt belong to the same family — learn them together with the present table and you will recognise erklären in every tense.

When to use the Präsens of erklären

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use erklären in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Explaining the rule to my sister — the everyday use

Erklären is the verb for explaining the rule to my sister. It covers the ordinary, everyday situations where this verb appears, at home and outside. Example: “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “I explain the rule to my sister every day.”

2. Explaining the problem to my friend — a second everyday use

Erklären also covers explaining the problem to my friend. This use is very common in everyday speech, and it is the one learners meet next after the first. Example: “Du erklärst das Problem meinem Freund jeden Tag.” — “You explain the problem to my friend every day.”

3. Explaining the way to the tourist — a third everyday use

In a third everyday situation, you use erklären for explaining the way to the tourist. The same verb, the same present forms, a different situation — that is why the present is worth learning as a whole table rather than one form at a time. Example: “Er erklärt den Weg dem Touristen jeden Tag.” — “He explains the way to the tourist every day.”

4. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and erklären is no exception. Use time expressions such as jeden Tag, immer or jede Woche to make the routine explicit. Example: “Wir erklären die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “We explain the rule to my sister every day.”

5. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. German often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with erklären in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Ihr erklärt das Problem meinem Freund jeden Tag.” — “You explain the problem to my friend every day.”

Present Tense vs Preterite: how to choose

The closest tense to the Präsens is the preterite, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing and stories, while the present describes habits and facts that are true now. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the Präsens sentences use words such as jeden Tag or gestern, while the preterite sentences belong to a story told in the past. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present: “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “I explain the rule to my sister every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Ich erklärte die Regel meiner Schwester gestern.” — “I explained the rule to my sister yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Du erklärst das Problem meinem Freund jeden Tag.” — “You explain the problem to my friend every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Du erklärtest das Problem meinem Freund gestern.” — “You explained the problem to my friend yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

  • Present: “Wir erklären den Weg dem Touristen jeden Tag.” — “We explain the way to the tourist every day.”

  • Preterite (Präteritum): “Wir erklärten den Weg dem Touristen gestern.” — “We explained the way to the tourist yesterday.”

  • The Präsens sentence is about the present moment or one finished action in speech; the preterite sentence is about the past as it is told in writing. That difference — now or finished in speech versus told in a story — is the whole decision.

Example sentences: erklären in the Präsens

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other words — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Ich erkläre das Problem meinem Freund jeden Tag.” — “I explain the problem to my friend every day.”

  2. “Du erklärst den Weg dem Touristen jeden Tag.” — “You explain the way to the tourist every day.”

  3. “Er erklärt die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “He explains the rule to my sister every day.”

  4. “Wir erklären das Problem meinem Freund jeden Tag.” — “We explain the problem to my friend every day.”

  5. “Ihr erklärt den Weg dem Touristen jeden Tag.” — “You explain the way to the tourist every day.”

  6. “Sie erklären die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “They explain the rule to my sister every day.”

  7. “Ich erkläre das Problem meinem Freund jeden Tag.” — “I explain the problem to my friend every day.”

  8. “Du erklärst den Weg dem Touristen jeden Tag.” — “You explain the way to the tourist every day.”

Common mistakes with erklären in the Präsens

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Ich erklären die Regel meiner Schwester.” Right: “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester.” Why: The ich form is erkläre, not erklären. Erklären belongs with sie. Mixing the two groups is the most common error with this verb.

  • Wrong: “Wir erklären die Regel meiner Schwester.” Right: “Wir erklären die Regel meiner Schwester.” Why: Wir keeps its own form: erklären, not erklären. Learn wir and ihr as a separate pair from the singular forms.

  • Wrong: “Ich erklären die Regel meiner Schwester.” (with the infinitive) Right: “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester.” Why: The infinitive erklären never takes a subject. After ich you need the conjugated present form erkläre.

  • Wrong: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester.” Right: “Es ist wichtig, dass ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester.” Why: After es ist wichtig, dass German needs Konjunktiv I, so use erkläre here, not the indicative erkläre.

Quiz: erklären in the Präsens

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

1. Complete the sentence: “Ich ______ das Problem meinem Freund.”

  • (A) erklärst
  • (B) erklärt
  • (C) erklären
  • (D) erkläre

2. Complete the sentence: “Du ______ den Weg dem Touristen.”

  • (A) erklären
  • (B) erklärst
  • (C) erkläre
  • (D) erklärt

3. Complete the sentence: “Er ______ die Regel meiner Schwester.”

  • (A) erklärt
  • (B) erkläre
  • (C) erklärst
  • (D) erklären

4. Complete the sentence: “Wir ______ das Problem meinem Freund.”

  • (A) erklärt
  • (B) erklären
  • (C) erkläre
  • (D) erklärst

5. Complete the sentence: “Ihr ______ den Weg dem Touristen.”

  • (A) erklärt
  • (B) erkläre
  • (C) erklärst
  • (D) erklären

6. Complete the sentence: “Sie ______ die Regel meiner Schwester.”

  • (A) erklärt
  • (B) erklären
  • (C) erkläre
  • (D) erklärst

7. What does erklären mean in English?

  • (A) to explain
  • (B) to discuss
  • (C) to decide
  • (D) to vote, to choose

8. What is the past participle (Partizip II) of erklären?

  • (A) geerklärt
  • (B) diskutiert
  • (C) entschieden
  • (D) gewählt

Answer key

  1. D) erkläre — The ich form is erkläre.
  2. B) erklärst — The du form is erklärst.
  3. A) erklärt — The er/sie/es form is erklärt.
  4. B) erklären — The wir form is erklären.
  5. A) erklärt — The ihr form is erklärt.
  6. B) erklären — The sie/Sie form is erklären.
  7. A) to explain — erklären means “to explain”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
  8. A) geerklärt — The past participle of erklären is geerklärt; the Präsens is formed with haben + geerklärt.

Frequently asked questions

How is the present of erklären formed?

The present of erklären is regular: take the stem and add the present endings, giving ich erkläre, du erklärst, er erklärt, wir erklären, ihr erklärt, sie erklären.

When do I use the present of erklären?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now — for example, “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” — “I explain the rule to my sister every day.” For a finished past action, use the Perfekt instead.

What is the difference between the present and the preterite of erklären?

The present describes what is true now or happens regularly; the preterite describes a completed past action, mostly in writing. Compare “Ich erkläre die Regel meiner Schwester jeden Tag.” with “Ich erklärte die Regel meiner Schwester gestern.” — the first is now, the second is the past as it is told in a story.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for erklären, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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