The Portuguese verb explicar means "to explain". Below are its 7 tenses as tables, with the irregular forms marked, 4 example sentences and answers to 3 common questions. Press play next to a present tense form or an example to hear it.
The present tense of explicar is eu explico, tu explicas, ele/ela explica, nós explicamos, vós explicais, eles/elas explicam. It counts as a regular -ar verb, though 10 of its forms differ from the model pattern and are marked in the tables. The tables below cover 7 tenses, from the present to the imperative.
Forms in orange break the regular -ar pattern.
| eu | explico | |
|---|---|---|
| tu | explicas | |
| ele/ | explica | |
| nós | explicamos | |
| vós | explicais | |
| eles/ | explicam |
| eu | expliquei (irregular) |
|---|---|
| tu | explicaste |
| ele/ | explicou |
| nós | explicámos |
| vós | explicastes |
| eles/ | explicaram |
| eu | explicava |
|---|---|
| tu | explicavas |
| ele/ | explicava |
| nós | explicávamos |
| vós | explicáveis |
| eles/ | explicavam |
| eu | explicarei |
|---|---|
| tu | explicarás |
| ele/ | explicará |
| nós | explicaremos |
| vós | explicareis |
| eles/ | explicarão |
| eu | explicaria |
|---|---|
| tu | explicarias |
| ele/ | explicaria |
| nós | explicaríamos |
| vós | explicaríeis |
| eles/ | explicariam |
| que eu | explique (irregular) |
|---|---|
| que tu | expliques (irregular) |
| que ele/ | explique (irregular) |
| que nós | expliquemos (irregular) |
| que vós | expliqueis (irregular) |
| que eles/ | expliquem (irregular) |
| tu | explica |
|---|---|
| você | explique (irregular) |
| nós | expliquemos (irregular) |
| vós | explicai |
| vocês | expliquem (irregular) |
Explicar is regular, with spelling changes only. The spelling changes appear in the simple past eu form expliquei, all present subjunctive forms such as explique and expliquem, and the você, nós, and vocês imperative forms.
Lingo7 is an app for reading books in Portuguese with a translation under every sentence and audio, so the forms in these tables come back in context.
Yes, explicar is regular, with spelling changes only. Its forms follow the regular -ar pattern shown in the table.
The simple past eu form is expliquei. The spelling change keeps the pronunciation of the stem before the ending.
They are explique, expliques, explique, expliquemos, expliqueis, and expliquem. The imperative forms você, nós, and vocês use the same spelling pattern: explique, expliquemos, and expliquem.