Explicar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Portuguese

explicar — to explain — is one of the verbs you will use every day in Portuguese. It is a regular -ar verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. It means to explain, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -car stem keeps its hard c by writing qu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is expliquei. The present is explico, explicas, explica, and the participle is explicado. It takes the thing explained and the person it is explained to. On this page you will find explicar in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the explicar conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the explicar present tense page.

Example sentences with explicar

In the present tense

  • “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Tu explicas a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “You explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “He explains the lesson to Maria”
  • “Nós explicamos a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “We explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Vós explicais a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “You explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Eles explicam a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “They explain the lesson to Maria”

In the pretérito perfeito

  • “Eu expliquei a lição à Maria ontem.” — “I explained the lesson to Maria”
  • “Tu explicaste a lição à Maria ontem.” — “You explained the lesson to Maria”
  • “Ele explicou a lição à Maria ontem.” — “He explained the lesson to Maria”
  • “Nós explicámos a lição à Maria ontem.” — “We explained the lesson to Maria”
  • “Vós explicastes a lição à Maria ontem.” — “You explained the lesson to Maria”
  • “Eles explicaram a lição à Maria ontem.” — “They explained the lesson to Maria”

In other tenses

The same verb in the pretérito imperfeito, the futuro do presente, the futuro do pretérito, the presente do subjuntivo and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Eu explicava a lição à Maria antigamente.” — “I used to explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Tu explicarás a lição à Maria amanhã.” — “You will explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Ele explicaria a lição à Maria um dia.” — “He would explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “É importante que nós expliquemos a lição à Maria.” — “It is important that we explain the lesson to Maria”
  • “Explica a lição à Maria!” — “Explain the lesson to Maria!”

How explicar is used

The first thing to know about explicar is its core meaning: to explain. It means to explain, and it is regular apart from its spelling: the -car stem keeps its hard c by writing qu before e and i, so the pretérito perfeito eu form is expliquei. The present is explico, explicas, explica, and the participle is explicado. It takes the thing explained and the person it is explained to. In everyday speech it appears most often in the present and the pretérito perfeito, the two tenses on this page, because most of what we say is either what we do every day or what we have just done. Learn those two tenses first and the rest of the conjugation becomes a matter of adding forms one at a time. The second thing to know is the company explicar keeps. The present eu form is explico, and it pairs naturally with the time words todos os dias and sempre for habits, and with agora for what is happening right now. The pretérito perfeito composto eu form is tenho explicado, and it pairs with ontem and esta semana for finished actions. When you learn a verb form, learn its time words with it, and choosing the tense becomes automatic. The third thing to know is what explicar does not do. It never appears as a bare infinitive after a subject pronoun — after eu you need explico, never explicar. It never takes the wrong auxiliary in the perfect tenses: the pretérito perfeito composto is tenho explicado, built with ter, and the other auxiliary does not belong here. And its participle explicado is given in the masculine singular form in the tables, with agreement depending on the sentence, not on the verb table.

Explicar in context

Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias. Tu explicas a lição à Maria todos os dias. Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias. Nós explicamos a lição à Maria todos os dias. That is a normal part of the routine, and that is why the present of explicar is the first form worth learning. Each sentence uses a different person, so read them aloud and notice how the form changes — explico, explicas, explica, explicamos — while the meaning stays the same: to explain. Eu expliquei a lição à Maria ontem. Tu explicaste a lição à Maria ontem. Ele explicou a lição à Maria ontem. Nós explicámos a lição à Maria ontem. That was a normal day, but it is exactly on days like this that the pretérito perfeito of explicar appears constantly: a finished action, a precise moment, and the story goes on. Compare these sentences with the present ones above: the verb changes tense, but the basic meaning — to explain — does not change. That is the difference between a habit and a finished event.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Eu explicar a lição à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.”

The infinitive explicar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated present form explico.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Eu explicas a lição à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.”

explicas is the tu form, not the eu form. The eu form is explico — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Eu explico a lição à Maria ontem.”

✓ Right: “Eu expliquei a lição à Maria ontem.”

Ontem points to the past, so use the pretérito perfeito expliquei here, not the present explico.

4. Mixing up the auxiliary

✗ Wrong: “Eu sou explicado a lição à Maria.”

✓ Right: “Eu tenho explicado a lição à Maria esta semana.”

explicar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto. The eu form is tenho explicado — the other auxiliary never belongs with this verb.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on explicar across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?

    • A) explico
    • B) explicas
    • C) explica
    • D) explicamos

  2. What is the eu form of explicar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?

    • A) tens explicado
    • B) tem explicado
    • C) tenho explicado
    • D) temos explicado

  3. What is the ele/ela form of explicar in the Pretérito imperfeito?

    • A) explicavas
    • B) explicávamos
    • C) explicáveis
    • D) explicava

  4. What is the nós form of explicar in the Futuro do presente?

    • A) explicaremos
    • B) explicarei
    • C) explicarás
    • D) explicará

  5. What is the tu form of explicar in the Futuro do pretérito?

    • A) explicaria
    • B) explicarias
    • C) explicaríamos
    • D) explicaríeis

  6. What is the eu form of explicar in the Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples?

    • A) explicaras
    • B) explicáramos
    • C) explicara
    • D) explicáreis

  7. What is the nós form of explicar in the Presente do subjuntivo?

    • A) explique
    • B) expliques
    • C) expliqueis
    • D) expliquemos

  8. What is the gerund of explicar?

    • A) explicando
    • B) explicado
    • C) explicar
    • D) explico

  9. What is the past participle of explicar?

    • A) explicando
    • B) explicado
    • C) explicar
    • D) explico

  10. What does explicar mean in English?

  • A) to ask for
  • B) to receive
  • C) to explain
  • D) to pay

Answer key

  1. B) explicas — the correct form is explicas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) tenho explicado — the correct form is tenho explicado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) explicava — the correct form is explicava. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) explicaremos — the correct form is explicaremos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) explicarias — the correct form is explicarias. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) explicara — the correct form is explicara. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) expliquemos — the correct form is expliquemos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) explicando — the correct form is explicando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  9. B) explicado — the correct form is explicado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  10. C) to explain — the correct form is to explain. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does explicar mean in English?

explicar means “to explain”. You use it whenever you talk about to explain in Portuguese, in the present, the past and the future.

Is explicar regular or irregular?

explicar is regular. explicar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

What are the gerund and past participle of explicar?

The gerund is explicando and the past participle is explicado. The perfect tenses use ter + explicado.

Where can I see the full conjugation of explicar?

On the explicar conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The explicar present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

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

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