Expliquer Present Tense Conjugation in French
The present tense of expliquer — “to explain” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for expliquer, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves.” — “I explain the lesson to my pupils.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for expliquer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of expliquer
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for expliquer. expliquer is a regular -er verb, so you can build the present tense from the regular endings once you know the stem.
Present indicative — expliquer
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| je | explique |
| tu | expliques |
| il/elle | explique |
| nous | expliquons |
| vous | expliquez |
| ils/elles | expliquent |
The gerund of expliquer is en expliquant and the past participle is expliqué. You need the participle for the perfect tenses and the gerund for constructions with en.
How the present tense of expliquer is formed
For a regular -er verb, the present tense is built on the stem expliqu- (the infinitive expliquer without its -er ending) plus the present tense endings: je → explique, tu → expliques, il/elle → explique, nous → expliquons, vous → expliquez, ils/elles → expliquent. So expliquer gives explique, expliques, explique, expliquons, expliquez, expliquent.
When to use the present tense of expliquer
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with expliquer: “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves tous les jours.” — “I explain the lesson to my pupils.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with expliquer: “Tu expliques la leçon à mes élèves en général.” — “You explain the lesson to my pupils.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with expliquer: “Il explique la leçon à mes élèves maintenant.” — “He explains the lesson to my pupils.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with expliquer: “Nous expliquons la leçon à mes élèves demain.” — “We explain the lesson to my pupils.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with expliquer: “Ils expliquent la leçon à mes élèves souvent.” — “They explain the lesson to my pupils.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: expliquer now, expliquer later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present Tense: “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves tous les jours.” — “I explain the lesson to my pupils.”
Future: “J'expliquerai la leçon à mes élèves demain.” — “I will explain the lesson to my pupils tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Tu expliques la leçon à mes élèves maintenant.” — “You explain the lesson to my pupils.”
Future: “Tu expliqueras la leçon à mes élèves demain.” — “You will explain the lesson to my pupils tomorrow.”
Present Tense: “Nous expliquons la leçon à mes élèves en classe.” — “We explain the lesson to my pupils.”
Future: “Nous expliquerons la leçon à mes élèves demain.” — “We will explain the lesson to my pupils tomorrow.”
Example sentences: expliquer in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of expliquer, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves tous les jours.” — “I explain the lesson to my pupils.”
- “Tu expliques la leçon à mes élèves chaque matin.” — “You explain the lesson to my pupils.”
- “Il explique la leçon à mes élèves souvent.” — “He explains the lesson to my pupils.”
- “Nous expliquons la leçon à mes élèves maintenant.” — “We explain the lesson to my pupils.”
- “Vous expliquez la leçon à mes élèves en général.” — “You explain the lesson to my pupils.”
- “Ils expliquent la leçon à mes élèves le week-end.” — “They explain the lesson to my pupils.”
Common mistakes with expliquer in the present tense
Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the present
Wrong: “Je expliquer la leçon à mes élèves.”
Right: “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves.”
The infinitive never takes a subject; use the conjugated form explique.
Mistake 2: Mixing up the persons
Wrong: “Tu explique la leçon à mes élèves.”
Right: “Tu expliques la leçon à mes élèves.”
After tu you need expliques, not the je form explique. Each person has its own ending.
Mistake 3: Using the future for a habit
Wrong: “J'expliquerai la leçon à mes élèves.” (for something you do every day)
Right: “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves tous les jours.”
A habit takes the present, not the future. The future (expliquerai) is for what will happen.
Mistake 4: Using the passé composé for a habit
Wrong: “J'ai expliqué la leçon à mes élèves tous les jours.” (for a daily habit)
Right: “J'explique la leçon à mes élèves tous les jours.”
A daily habit takes the present. The passé composé is for finished events.
Quiz: expliquer in the present tense
What is the je form of expliquer in the Present indicative?
- A) expliques
- B) explique
- C) expliquons
- D) expliquent
What is the tu form of expliquer in the Present indicative?
- A) explique
- B) expliques
- C) expliquez
- D) expliquent
What is the il/elle form of expliquer in the Present indicative?
- A) expliques
- B) expliquent
- C) expliquons
- D) explique
What is the nous form of expliquer in the Present indicative?
- A) expliquons
- B) expliquent
- C) explique
- D) expliques
What is the vous form of expliquer in the Present indicative?
- A) expliquons
- B) expliquez
- C) expliquent
- D) explique
What is the ils/elles form of expliquer in the Present indicative?
- A) expliquez
- B) expliques
- C) expliquons
- D) expliquent
What is the gerund of expliquer?
- A) expliquerai
- B) explique
- C) expliqué
- D) en expliquant
What does expliquer mean in English?
- A) to go
- B) to explain
- C) to have
- D) to be
Answer key
- B) explique — the je form of expliquer in the present indicative is explique.
- B) expliques — the tu form of expliquer in the present indicative is expliques.
- D) explique — the il/elle form of expliquer in the present indicative is explique.
- A) expliquons — the nous form of expliquer in the present indicative is expliquons.
- B) expliquez — the vous form of expliquer in the present indicative is expliquez.
- D) expliquent — the ils/elles form of expliquer in the present indicative is expliquent.
- D) en expliquant — the gerund of expliquer is en expliquant.
- B) to explain — expliquer means “to explain” in English.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of expliquer formed?
From the stem plus the present endings — the full table is at the top of this page. The je form is explique and the ils form is expliquent.
When do I use the present tense of expliquer?
Use it for habits, facts and things happening now. The five usage rules above, with examples, cover the situations you will meet most often.
What is the difference between the present tense and the future?
The present is for what is true now or happens regularly (explique), while the future is for what will happen (expliquerai). The contrast section above shows three pairs side by side.
Where can I see the full conjugation of expliquer?
On the full conjugation page for expliquer, which has every tense, plus examples and a longer quiz. The examples and quiz page has more sentences in context.
Practice drill
Say the six present tense forms of expliquer in order, without looking: explique, expliques, explique, expliquons, expliquez, expliquent. Then write three sentences of your own — one about today, one about yesterday, one about tomorrow — using explique, ai expliqué and expliquerai. Check every form against the table above. When you can produce all six persons without looking, move on to the examples and quiz page.
Related pages
- expliquer in the present tense — the full table and uses for this verb in the present tense.
- expliquer examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- French present tense guide — how this tense works for regular verbs.
- Raconter conjugation — another French verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise expliquer with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise expliquer with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.