expliquer

Senses

1. 1.

   to explain

   to make something clear or understandable by providing details or reasons

2. 2.

   to account for

   to provide a reason or cause for something that happened

3. 3.

   to work out

   to understand or figure out (reflexive usage: s'expliquer)

Examples

• "Le professeur a expliqué la grammaire à ses étudiants."

  The teacher explained the grammar to his students.

• "Elle a expliqué son retard par un embouteillage."

  She accounted for her lateness with a traffic jam.

• "Je ne peux pas m'expliquer pourquoi il a dit cela."

  I cannot figure out why he said that.

Usage

One of the most common French verbs; often used with *à* (explain to someone) or *par* (explain by a reason). The reflexive form *s'expliquer* means "to explain oneself" or "to understand" and is very frequent in conversation.