Introduction

Explicar means “to explain”, and this page covers exactly one thing: explicar in the present tense. The present is the tense Portuguese 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 explicar, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the pretérito perfeito, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about explicar in the present. 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. For example: “Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “He explains the lesson to Maria.” Everything on this page uses the forms of explicar exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Explicar in the Present — full table

Person Form
eu explico
tu explicas
ele/ela explica
nós explicamos
vós explicais
eles/elas explicam
Gerund: explicando · Past participle: explicado
The gerund is explicando, which you use with estar to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “Explicando a lição à Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While explaining the lesson to Maria, I learn a lot.” The past participle is explicado, which you use with ter in the perfect tenses: tenho explicado is the pretérito perfeito composto, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present is only one part of how explicar is used.
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.

How the present of explicar is formed

The present tense of explicar has six forms: eu explico, tu explicas, ele explica, nós explicamos, vós explicais, eles explicam. Say them in order — eu, tu, ele, nós, vós, eles — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. explicar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings — -o, -as, -a, -amos, -ais, -am for -ar verbs; -o, -es, -e, -emos, -eis, -em for -er verbs; and -o, -es, -e, -imos, -is, -em for -ir verbs — so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Because the stem keeps its hard sound by writing qu or gu before e and i, the eu form is explico and the subjunctive eu form is explique.

Two things about the present of explicar are worth noticing. First, the nós and vós forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the same stem, and the present subjunctive takes its nós and vós forms from the same stem, so learning explicamos and explicais pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense Portuguese uses where English would often use the continuous form, so explico can mean both “I explain” and “I am explaining” — context tells the listener which one you mean.

Because explicar is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -ar endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -ar verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of explicar

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

1. 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 explicar is no exception. Use time expressions such as todos os dias, sempre or todas as semanas to make the routine explicit. Example: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about explicar does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “He explains the lesson to Maria.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. Portuguese often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with explicar in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nós explicamos a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “We explain the lesson to Maria.”

4. Scheduled future events

Portuguese uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu explicas a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “You explain the lesson to Maria.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and explicar in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Eles explicam a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “They explain the lesson to Maria.”

Present Tense vs Pretérito Perfeito: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the pretérito perfeito, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the pretérito perfeito describes one finished action in the past. 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 present sentences use words such as todos os dias or sempre, while the pretérito perfeito sentences use ontem or na semana passada. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “He explains the lesson to Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Ele explicou a lição à Maria ontem.” — “He explained the lesson to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Eu expliquei a lição à Maria ontem.” — “I explained the lesson to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.
  • Present Tense: “Tu explicas a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “You explain the lesson to Maria”
  • Pretérito Perfeito: “Tu explicaste a lição à Maria ontem.” — “You explained the lesson to Maria”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the pretérito perfeito sentence is one finished event. Todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

Example sentences: explicar in the present

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 and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

  1. “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria”
  2. “Tu explicas a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “You explain the lesson to Maria”
  3. “Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “He explains the lesson to Maria”
  4. “Nós explicamos a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “We explain the lesson to Maria”
  5. “Vós explicais a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “You explain the lesson to Maria”
  6. “Eles explicam a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “They explain the lesson to Maria”
  7. “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria”
  8. “Ele explica a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “He explains the lesson to Maria”

Common mistakes

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: “Eu explicas a lição à Maria.” Right: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” Why: The eu form is explico, not explicas. explicas is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nós explico a lição à Maria.” Right: “Nós explicamos a lição à Maria todos os dias.” Why: Nós needs the nós form explicamos. explico belongs with eu only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias ontem.” Right: “Eu expliquei a lição à Maria ontem.” Why: Ontem points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito expliquei for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Eu explicar a lição à Maria.” Right: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” Why: The infinitive explicar never takes a subject. After eu you need the conjugated form explico.

Quiz: test yourself

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

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

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

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

  3. What is the ele/ela form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?

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

  4. What is the nós form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?

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

  5. What is the vós form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?

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

  6. What is the eles/elas form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?

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

  7. What is the eu form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. B) explico — the correct form is explico. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  2. C) explicas — the correct form is explicas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  3. D) explica — the correct form is explica. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  4. A) explicamos — the correct form is explicamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  5. B) explicais — the correct form is explicais. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  6. C) explicam — the correct form is explicam. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  7. D) explico — the correct form is explico. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
  8. A) explicas — the correct form is explicas. The other options are other forms of the same verb.

Frequently asked questions

What does explicar mean in English?

explicar means “to explain”. It is a regular -ar verb.

How is the present tense of explicar formed?

The six present forms are: eu explico, tu explicas, ele explica, nós explicamos, vós explicais, eles explicam. explicar is regular: every form follows the standard -ar endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem.

When do I use the present instead of the pretérito perfeito?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the pretérito perfeito for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: todos os dias points to the present, ontem points to the pretérito perfeito.

What are the gerund and past participle of explicar?

The gerund is explicando and the past participle is explicado.

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