Explicar Conjugation in Portuguese
explicar means “to explain” in English, and it is one of the first verbs Portuguese learners meet — it sits at number 77 in VerbFlow’s frequency list for Portuguese verbs. 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. This page gives you the complete conjugation of explicar — every tense, every person, the gerund and the past participle — with notes, examples, common mistakes and a quiz. Here is the verb in a natural sentence: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria.”
Quick facts
- Infinitive: explicar
- English: to explain
- Verb type: Regular -ar verb
- Irregular in: none — regular in every tense
- Gerund: explicando
- Present participle: —
- Past participle: explicado
- Auxiliary: ter (all perfect tenses are formed with ter + the past participle)
- Ending: -ar verbs; pattern ar in the verified tables
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. Learn the spelling of the forms first, and listen to a native speaker for the sounds rather than trusting an invented transcription. The forms below are the ones that matter: once you can read explicar in every tense, you can recognise it in speech even before you can pronounce every form perfectly.
Three things to remember about explicar
- It is regular: every form follows the ordinary -ar pattern, so once you know the stem you can build the whole table. The only work is learning the endings, not memorising exceptions. The stem keeps its hard sound by writing qu or gu before e and i, so the eu form is explico and the subjunctive eu form is explique.
- The perfect tenses use ter: the pretérito perfeito composto is formed with ter in the present plus the past participle explicado. The tables on this page give the participle in the masculine singular form, exactly as it appears in the verified dump; agreement with the subject is a separate step that depends on the sentence, not on the verb table.
- The gerund is explicando and the past participle is explicado: keep both in mind as you read the tables, because the gerund appears in progressive constructions and the past participle appears in every perfect tense. There is no present participle form listed for this verb in the verified tables. If you know those two forms and the present tense, you already know the skeleton of the whole conjugation.
Full conjugation tables
Every form below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for explicar. Learn the present tense first, then the pretérito perfeito and the pretérito imperfeito, and add the remaining tenses one at a time.
Present indicative (presente)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explico |
| tu | explicas |
| ele/ela | explica |
| nós | explicamos |
| vós | explicais |
| eles/elas | explicam |
The present indicative (presente) is used for habits, facts and things happening now. For example: “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito perfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | expliquei |
| tu | explicaste |
| ele/ela | explicou |
| nós | explicámos |
| vós | explicastes |
| eles/elas | explicaram |
The pretérito perfeito is used for completed actions in the past, especially one finished event. For example: “Eu expliquei a lição à Maria ontem.” — “I explained the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explicava |
| tu | explicavas |
| ele/ela | explicava |
| nós | explicávamos |
| vós | explicáveis |
| eles/elas | explicavam |
The pretérito imperfeito is used for ongoing or habitual actions in the past, and for background description. For example: “Eu explicava a lição à Maria antigamente.” — “I used to explain the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explicara |
| tu | explicaras |
| ele/ela | explicara |
| nós | explicáramos |
| vós | explicáreis |
| eles/elas | explicaram |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito simples is used for an action completed before another past action; in everyday speech the compound form with tinha is more common. For example: “Eu explicara a lição à Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had explained the lesson to Maria”
Futuro do presente
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explicarei |
| tu | explicarás |
| ele/ela | explicará |
| nós | explicaremos |
| vós | explicareis |
| eles/elas | explicarão |
The futuro do presente is used for what will happen, for predictions and for promises. For example: “Eu explicarei a lição à Maria amanhã.” — “I will explain the lesson to Maria”
Futuro do pretérito
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explicaria |
| tu | explicarias |
| ele/ela | explicaria |
| nós | explicaríamos |
| vós | explicaríeis |
| eles/elas | explicariam |
The futuro do pretérito is used for what would happen, for polite requests and for hypothetical situations. For example: “Eu explicaria a lição à Maria um dia.” — “I would explain the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenho explicado |
| tu | tens explicado |
| ele/ela | tem explicado |
| nós | temos explicado |
| vós | tendes explicado |
| eles/elas | têm explicado |
The pretérito perfeito composto is used for actions that started in the past and continue, or have been repeated, up to the present. For example: “Ele tem explicado a lição à Maria esta semana.” — “He has explained the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tinha explicado |
| tu | tinhas explicado |
| ele/ela | tinha explicado |
| nós | tínhamos explicado |
| vós | tínheis explicado |
| eles/elas | tinham explicado |
The pretérito mais-que-perfeito composto is used for an action completed before another past action. For example: “Eu tinha explicado a lição à Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had explained the lesson to Maria”
Futuro do presente composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | terei explicado |
| tu | terás explicado |
| ele/ela | terá explicado |
| nós | teremos explicado |
| vós | tereis explicado |
| eles/elas | terão explicado |
The futuro do presente composto is used for what will have happened by a point in the future. For example: “Eu terei explicado a lição à Maria até amanhã.” — “I will have explained the lesson to Maria”
Futuro do pretérito composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | teria explicado |
| tu | terias explicado |
| ele/ela | teria explicado |
| nós | teríamos explicado |
| vós | teríeis explicado |
| eles/elas | teriam explicado |
The futuro do pretérito composto is used for what would have happened in a different past. For example: “Eu teria explicado a lição à Maria ontem.” — “I would have explained the lesson to Maria”
Presente do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explique |
| tu | expliques |
| ele/ela | explique |
| nós | expliquemos |
| vós | expliqueis |
| eles/elas | expliquem |
The presente do subjuntivo is used for wishes, doubts, emotions and opinions after que. For example: “É importante que eu explique a lição à Maria.” — “It is important that I explain the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explicasse |
| tu | explicasses |
| ele/ela | explicasse |
| nós | explicássemos |
| vós | explicásseis |
| eles/elas | explicassem |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo is used in the past for wishes and hypotheticals after que, and in se-clauses. For example: “Era importante que eu explicasse a lição à Maria.” — “It was important that I explain the lesson to Maria”
Futuro do subjuntivo
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | explicar |
| tu | explicares |
| ele/ela | explicar |
| nós | explicarmos |
| vós | explicardes |
| eles/elas | explicarem |
The futuro do subjuntivo is used after se and quando for a future possibility, where English would use the present. For example: “Se eu explicar a lição à Maria, é bom.” — “If I explain the lesson to Maria, that is good”
Imperativo (affirmative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | explica |
| ele/ela | explique |
| nós | expliquemos |
| vós | explicai |
| eles/elas | expliquem |
The affirmative imperative is used for direct commands and instructions. For example: “Explica a lição à Maria!” — “Explain the lesson to Maria!”
Imperativo (negative)
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| tu | não expliques |
| ele/ela | não explique |
| nós | não expliquemos |
| vós | não expliqueis |
| eles/elas | não expliquem |
The negative imperative is used for prohibitions and negative commands. For example: “Não expliques a lição à Maria.” — “Do not explain the lesson to Maria.”
Presente do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tenha explicado |
| tu | tenhas explicado |
| ele/ela | tenha explicado |
| nós | tenhamos explicado |
| vós | tenhais explicado |
| eles/elas | tenham explicado |
The presente do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a subordinate clause expressing doubt, wish or emotion. For example: “É importante que eu tenha explicado a lição à Maria.” — “It is important that I have explained the lesson to Maria”
Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tivesse explicado |
| tu | tivesses explicado |
| ele/ela | tivesse explicado |
| nós | tivéssemos explicado |
| vós | tivésseis explicado |
| eles/elas | tivessem explicado |
The pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo composto is used for a completed action in a past subordinate clause. For example: “Era importante que eu tivesse explicado a lição à Maria.” — “It was important that I had explained the lesson to Maria”
Futuro do subjuntivo composto
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| eu | tiver explicado |
| tu | tiveres explicado |
| ele/ela | tiver explicado |
| nós | tivermos explicado |
| vós | tiverdes explicado |
| eles/elas | tiverem explicado |
The futuro do subjuntivo composto is used after se for a completed future possibility. For example: “Se eu tiver explicado a lição à Maria, é bom.” — “If I have explained the lesson to Maria, that is good”
Gerund
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Gerund | explicando |
The gerund is used for an action happening at the same time as another action, often with estar for the progressive. For example: “Explicando a lição à Maria, aprendo muito.” — “While explaining the lesson to Maria, I learn a lot.”
Past participle
| Form | Portuguese |
|---|---|
| Past participle | explicado |
The past participle is used with an auxiliary to form the perfect tenses, and as an adjective. For example: “Eu tenho explicado a lição à Maria esta semana.” — “I have explained the lesson to Maria.”
Example sentences
Ten natural sentences with explicar, covering different tenses and persons. Say each one aloud, then cover the Portuguese and try to produce it from the English.
- “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria”
- “Tu explicaste a lição à Maria ontem.” — “You explained the lesson to Maria”
- “Ele explicava a lição à Maria antigamente.” — “He used to explain the lesson to Maria”
- “Eu explicarei a lição à Maria amanhã.” — “I will explain the lesson to Maria”
- “Tu explicarias a lição à Maria um dia.” — “You would explain the lesson to Maria”
- “Ele tem explicado a lição à Maria esta semana.” — “He has explained the lesson to Maria”
- “Eu tinha explicado a lição à Maria antes do jantar.” — “I had explained the lesson to Maria”
- “Tu terás explicado a lição à Maria até amanhã.” — “You will have explained the lesson to Maria”
- “É importante que eu explique a lição à Maria.” — “It is important that I explain the lesson to Maria”
- “Explica a lição à Maria!” — “Explain the lesson to Maria!”
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’s form
✗ 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. Match the verb to the subject every time: eu goes with explico.
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 the present is wrong here. Use the pretérito perfeito expliquei for a finished action yesterday.
4. Using the wrong auxiliary in the pretérito perfeito composto
✗ Wrong: “Eu sou explicado a lição à Maria.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho explicado a lição à Maria esta semana.”
The pretérito perfeito composto of explicar is formed with ter plus the past participle explicado: the eu form is tenho explicado. Check the auxiliary in the table above before you build a perfect tense.
5. Using the indicative after a subjunctive trigger
✗ Wrong: “É importante que eu explico a lição à Maria.”
✓ Right: “É importante que eu explique a lição à Maria.”
After é importante que Portuguese needs the subjunctive, so use explique here, not the indicative explico.
6. Using the gerund instead of the past participle in a perfect tense
✗ Wrong: “Eu tenho explicando a lição à Maria.”
✓ Right: “Eu tenho explicado a lição à Maria esta semana.”
The perfect tenses need the past participle explicado, not the gerund explicando. The gerund belongs in progressive constructions, never after an auxiliary in a perfect tense.
Quiz: test yourself
Ten questions on explicar. Choose the right form, then check the answer key below.
What is the eu form of explicar in the Present indicative (presente)?
- A) explicas
- B) explico
- C) explica
- D) explicamos
What is the ele/ela form of explicar in the Pretérito perfeito?
- A) expliquei
- B) explicaste
- C) explicou
- D) explicámos
What is the nós form of explicar in the Pretérito imperfeito?
- A) explicava
- B) explicavas
- C) explicáveis
- D) explicávamos
What is the tu form of explicar in the Futuro do presente?
- A) explicarás
- B) explicarei
- C) explicará
- D) explicaremos
What is the eu form of explicar in the Futuro do pretérito?
- A) explicarias
- B) explicaria
- C) explicaríamos
- D) explicaríeis
What is the ele/ela form of explicar in the Pretérito perfeito composto?
- A) tenho explicado
- B) tens explicado
- C) tem explicado
- D) temos explicado
What is the ele/ela form of explicar in the Presente do subjuntivo?
- A) expliques
- B) expliquemos
- C) expliqueis
- D) explique
What is the eu form of explicar in the Pretérito imperfeito do subjuntivo?
- A) explicasse
- B) explicasses
- C) explicássemos
- D) explicásseis
What is the gerund of explicar?
- A) explicado
- B) explicando
- C) explicar
- D) explico
What does explicar mean in English?
- A) to ask for
- B) to receive
- C) to explain
- D) to pay
Answer key
- B) explico — the correct form is explico. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) explicou — the correct form is explicou. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) explicávamos — the correct form is explicávamos. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) explicarás — the correct form is explicarás. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) explicaria — the correct form is explicaria. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- C) tem explicado — the correct form is tem explicado. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- D) explique — the correct form is explique. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- A) explicasse — the correct form is explicasse. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- B) explicando — the correct form is explicando. The other options are other forms of the same verb.
- 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”. It is a core everyday verb, so its present-tense forms are worth learning first.
Is explicar regular or irregular?
explicar is regular: it follows the ordinary -ar pattern in every tense. The gerund is explicando and the past participle is explicado.
What are the gerund and past participle of explicar?
The gerund is explicando — use it with estar for the progressive. The past participle is explicado — use it with ter for the perfect tenses, as in tenho explicado.
Which auxiliary does explicar take in the pretérito perfeito composto?
explicar takes ter in the pretérito perfeito composto: the eu form is tenho explicado. All seven compound tenses on this page are built with ter plus the past participle explicado.
How do I say “I explain” in Portuguese?
Say “Eu explico a lição à Maria todos os dias.” — “I explain the lesson to Maria” The eu form of the present is explico, and it is the form you will use most often.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of explicar — every tense of explicar in one place.
- Explicar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Explicar examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- Portuguese present tense guide — the full guide to the present tense in Portuguese.
- Pagar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Comprar conjugation — another everyday Portuguese verb.
- Portuguese verbs — the full hub of Portuguese conjugation pages.
- VerbFlow home — all languages, tools and verb lists.
- Verb Conjugator — practise explicar with the interactive tool.
- Conjugation Chart Printer — practise explicar with the interactive tool.
- Tense Finder — practise explicar with the interactive tool.