My intuition as a native speaker of American English with a Midwestern upbringing is to simply say no. The verb «to explain» does not license an indirect object, and you need to use a prepositional phrase like «to me» for that sentence to make sense.
Native intuition is often correct, but it rarely counts as a useful answer. The following isn’t a comprehensive answer. It’s only a rule of thumb. It’s meant to be a preliminary guide until you find a better guide.
What does the recipient receive? Give me an answer.
Let’s look at my last sentence:
Give me an answer.
That’s an imperative sentence. The subject is you, whom I address. The verb is a form of «to give». The indirect object is «me». The direct object is «an answer». If you give me an answer, then simply and literally, I receive an answer.
We can contrast this with your sample sentence. I’ll even phrase it in the imperative to make the contrast simpler:
Explain this word to me.
In that sentence, what does «me» receive? Not the word. The explanation. Not the object, but the result of the action.
In my sentence, «me» gets the answer — the indirect object gains possession or control of the direct object. In your sentence, «me» does not get the word (the direct object) even though «me» gets the benefit of the action (the explanation).
There are exceptions, and you will encounter those exceptions as you learn the language. However, until then, as a rule of thumb, reserve the indirect object construction for times when the indirect object receives the direct object.
Following that rule of thumb, you might use prepositions when you don’t need to, but you’ll not use a preposition where it isn’t warranted.
Unit 131 — I E G — Verb + preposition (1) at and to
131.1
1. I look stupid with this hair cut. Everybody will laugh at me.
2. I don’t understand what this means. Can you explain it to me.
3. I glanced at my watch to see what the time was.
4. We’ve been invited to the party but unfortunately we can’t go.
5. Please listen to me! I’ve got something important to tell you.
6. Don’t throw stones at the birds! It’s cruel.
7. If you don’t want to eat that sandwich, throw it to the birds. They’ll eat it.
8. Sally and Kevin had an argument and now they’re not speaking to one another.
9. I wrote to Joanna last week but she hasn’t replied to my letter yet.
10. Be careful with those scissors! Don’t point them at me.
131.2
1. They only invited a few people to their wedding.
2. Look at these flowers. Aren’t they pretty?
3. Please don’t shout at me! Be nice to me!
4. I saw Sue as I was cycling along the road. I shouted to her but she didn’t hear me.
5. Don’t listen to what he says. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
6. Can I speak to you for a moment? There’s something I want to ask you.
7. Do you think I could have a look at your newspaper, please?
8. I’m a bit lonely. I need somebody to talk to.
9. She was so angry she threw a chair at me.
10. The woman sitting opposite me on the train kept staring at me.
131.3
1. (I don’t understand this word.) Can you explain this word to me?
2. (I don’t understand what you mean.) Can you explain to me what you mean?
3. (I don’t understand this question.) Can you explain this question to me?
4. (I don’t understand the system.) Can you explain the system to me?
5. (don’t understand how this machine works.) Can you explain to me how this machine works?
6. I don’t understand what your problem is.) Can you explain to me what your problem is?
131.4
1. I know who she is but have never spoken to her.
2. George won’t be able to help you, so there is no point in asking him.
3. I like to listen to the radio while I’m having breakfast.
4. We’d better phone the restaurant to reserve a table.
5. I apologized to Bridget for the misunderstanding.
6. Don’t forget to write to me while you’re away.
7. I thanked everybody for all the help they had given me.
8. I explained to everybody what they had to do.
9. Mike described to me how the accident happened.
10. I’d like to ask you some questions.
Spoken English (Grammar) and Personality Development Coaching for students, professionals, institutions and corporate
Email: bryan27662@gmail.com
Phones: 77100 27 6 62 / 92232 03441
Twitter: bryan27662
+Brian
facebook.com/bryanthankappan
Founder and Chief English Educator – The Common Sense School
Trustee – Serenity Foundation
One Family — One Tree
Every peel of fruit and vegetable should be placed at the foot of a tree, you will save a lot of garbage and «feed the tree for free.»
Unit 132- Part A
Verb + to
talk / speak TO somebody (with is also possible but less usual)
• Who was that man you were talking to?
listen TO …
• We spent the evening listening to music. (not listening music)
write (a letter) TO …
• I wrote to the hotel complaining about the poor service we had received.
apologise TO somebody (for …)
• They apologised to me for what happened. (not They apologised me)
explain something TO somebody
• Can you explain this word to me? (not explain me this word)
explain / describe (to somebody) what/how/why …
• I explained to them why I was worried. (not I explained them)
• Let me describe to you what I saw. (not Let me describe you)
Unit 132- Part B
We do not use to with these verbs:
phone / telephone / call somebody
• Did you phone your father yesterday? (not phone to your father)
answer somebody/something
• He refused to answer my question. (not answer to my question)
ask somebody
• Can I ask you a question? (not ask to you)
thank somebody (for something)
• He thanked me for helping him. (not He thanked to me)
Unit 132- Part C
Verb + at
look / stare / glance AT … , have a look / take a look AT …
• Why are you looking at me like that?
laugh AT …
• I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laugh at me.
aim / point (something) AT … , shoot / fire (a gun) AT …
• Don’t point that knife at me. It’s dangerous.
• We saw someone with a gun shooting at birds, but he didn’t hit any.
Unit 132- Part D
Some verbs can be followed by at or to, with a difference of meaning. For example:
shout AT somebody (when you are angry)
• He got very angry and started shouting at me.
shout TO somebody (so that they can hear you)
• He shouted to me from the other side of the street.
throw something AT somebody/something (in order to hit them)
• Somebody threw an egg at the minister.
throw something TO somebody (for somebody to catch)
• Lisa shouted ‘Catch!’ and threw the keys to me from the window.
Exercises
{slide=1 Write questions beginning Can you explain … ?}
You ask somebody to explain things that you don’t understand. Write questions beginning Can you explain … ?
{tooltip}Key.{end-link}3 Can you explain this question to me? / Can you explain it to me?
4 Can you explain the problem tome? / Can you explain it to me?
5 Can you explain to me how this machine works?
6 Can you explain to me what I have to do?{end-tooltip}
1 (I don’t understand this word.)
Can you explain this word to me?
2 (I don’t understand what you mean.)
Can explain to me what you mean?
3 (I don’t understand this question.)
Can you explain ___________________________
4 (I don’t understand the problem.)
Can _______________________________________
5 (I don’t understand how this machine works.)
____________________________________________
6 (I don’t understand what I have to do.)
____________________________________________
{/slide} {slide=2 Put in to where necessary.}Put in to where necessary. If the sentence is already complete, leave the space empty.
{tooltip}Key.{end-link}3 to
4 –
5 to
6 to
7 –
8 –
9 to
10 -{end-tooltip}
1 I know who she is, but I’ve never spoken to her.
2 Why didn’t you answer – my letter?
3 I like to listen _______ the radio while I’m having breakfast.
4 We’d better phone _______ the restaurant to reserve a table.
5 ‘Did Mike apologise _______ you?’ ‘Yes, he said he was very sorry.’
6 I explained _______ everybody the reasons for my decision.
7 I thanked _______ everybody for all the help they had given me.
8 Ask me what you like, and I’ll try and answer _______ your questions.
9 Mike described _______ me exactly what happened.
10 Karen won’t be able to help you, so there’s no point in asking _______ her.
{/slide} {slide=3 Complete the sentences.}Complete the sentences. Use the following verbs (in the correct form) + the correct preposition:
{tooltip}Key.{end-link}3 speaking to
4 point them at
5 glanced at
6 listen to
7 throw stones at
8 throw it to{end-tooltip}
{xtypo_rounded3}explain glance laugh listen point speak throw throw{/xtypo_rounded3}
1 I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laught at me.
2 I don’t understand this. Can you explain it to me?
3 Sue and Kevin had an argument and now they’re not __________________ one another.
4 Be careful with those scissors! Don’t __________________ them __________________ me!
5 I __________________ my watch to see what the time was.
6 Please __________________ me! I’ve got something important to tell you.
7 Don’t __________________ stones __________________ the birds! It’s cruel.
8 If you don’t want that sandwich, __________________ it __________________ the birds. They’ll eat it.
{/slide} {slide=4 Put in to or at.}Put in to or at.
{tooltip}Key.{end-link}2 at
3 at
4 to
5 to
6 at
7 at
8 to
9 at
10 at
11 to{end-tooltip}
1 I wrote to the hotel complaining about the poor service we had received.
2 Look _____ these flowers. Aren’t they pretty?
3 Please don’t shout _____ me! Try to calm down.
4 I saw Sue as I was cycling along the road. I shouted _____ her, but she didn’t hear me.
5 Don’t listen _____ what he says. He doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
6 What’s so funny? What are you laughing _____?
7 Do you think I could have a look _____ your magazine, please?
8 I’m a bit lonely. I need somebody to talk _____.
9 She was so angry she threw a book _____ the wall.
10 The woman sitting opposite me on the train kept staring _____ me.
11 Can I speak _____ you a moment? There’s something I want to ask you.
{/slide}
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать грубую лексику.
На основании Вашего запроса эти примеры могут содержать разговорную лексику.
вы можете мне объяснить
вы можете объяснить мне
можете ли вы объяснить мне
Ты можешь объяснить мне
Ты можешь мне объяснить
можете ли вы мне объяснить
Can you explain to me, what do you need that for? What?
Can you explain to me why you spent $500 on a Jedi Knight trading card with a red border when its value is less than a dollar?
Вы можете мне объяснить, как вам удалось потратить 500 долларов на карточки с красной рамкой с изображением рыцарей-джедаев, если их цена меньше доллара?
But since I’m new to this, can you explain to me how you went from Las Vegas to Paris in three seconds?
Can you explain to me why this exists and how we can correct or improve the situation?
And can you explain to me how you came to be associated with Mr. Balik’s drug ring?
Can you explain to me why Hamilton and I had to cancel our flight to Baltimore this morning?
Okay, can you explain to me how this went down?
please can you explain to me how childcare vouchers work?
And if so, can you explain to me the difference between the two.
Which can you explain to me why your against?
But can you explain to me why different combinations of letters are pronounced the same?
А кто-нибудь может сказать, почему в разных словах одно и то же сочетание букв читают по-разному?
What color is he wearing — can you explain to me?
Please can you explain to me what the secret of this actress is meant to be?
«Пожалуйста, объясните мне, что за секрет у этой актрисы?
Guys, here you can tell old-timers, can you explain to me, that kind of nonsense is that?
So can you explain to me why you were locking yourself in the cellar, however many years ago it was, the last time that you did it?
Так можете ли вы мне объяснить, зачем вы запирались в подвале, неважно, насколько давно это было, в последний раз, когда вы там были?
Mr. Vladimir, can you explain to me the meaning of the word «racist» which Mr. Bobby X keeps throwing at me?
Мистер Владимир, не могли бы вы мне объяснить значение слова «расист», которое мистер Бобби Х использовал в отношении меня?
Then can you explain to me how an Abby ended up on our carousel on Main Street?
Тогда как ты объяснишь, что Абби оказался на карусели на Главной Улице.
QUESTION: Dear Kryon, can you explain to me what a parallel life is?
«But can you explain to me, please, why is it that C-3PO can speak»two billion languages but not English «without a proper intonation?»
«Но, будь добра, объясни-ка мне, с какой стати С-ЗРО, который умеет разговаривать на двух миллиардах языках, говорит на английском без должного произношения?»
Now, can you explain to me what kind of complication from a C-section leads to the severing of both fallopian tubes?
Объясни мне, что за осложнения во время кесарева приводят к перекрытию обеих фаллопиевых труб?
Результатов: 76. Точных совпадений: 76. Затраченное время: 234 мс
Documents
Корпоративные решения
Спряжение
Синонимы
Корректор
Справка и о нас
Индекс слова: 1-300, 301-600, 601-900
Индекс выражения: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
Индекс фразы: 1-400, 401-800, 801-1200
A
Глагол + to
talk / speak TO somebody (with также можно, но используется реже)
- Who was that man you were talking to?
С кем ты разговаривала? (досл.: кто был тот человек/мужчина, с которым ты разговаривала?)
listen TO …
- We spent the evening listening to music. (not
listening music)
Мы провели вечер, слушая музыку.
write (a letter) TO …
- I wrote to the hotel complaining about the poor service we had received.
Я написал в гостиницу жалобу на плохое обслуживание, которое мы получили.
apologise TO somebody (for …)
- They apologised to me for what happened. (not
They apologised me)
Они извинились мне за то, что произошло.
explain something TO somebody
- Can you explain this word to me? (not
explain me this word)
Можешь объяснить мне это слово?
explain / describe (to somebody) what/how/why …
- I explained to them why I was worried. (not
I explained them)
Я объяснил им, почему я волновался. - Let me describe to you what I saw. (not
Let me describe you)
Давай я опишу тебе то, что я видел.
B
Мы не используем to с этими глаголами:
phone / telephone / call somebody
- Did you phone your father yesterday? (not
phone to your father)
Ты звонил вчера своему отцу?
answer somebody/something
- He refused to answer my question. (not
answer to my question)
Он отказался отвечать на мой вопрос.
ask somebody
- Can I ask you a question? (not
ask to you)
Могу я задать тебе вопрос?
thank somebody (for something)
- He thanked me for helping him. (not
He thanked to me)
Он поблагодарил меня за то, что я ему помогла.
C
Глагол + at
look / stare / glance AT … , have a look / take a look AT …
- Why are you looking at me like that?
Почему ты на меня так смотришь?
laugh AT …
- I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will laugh at me.
Я выгляжу глупо с этой прической. Все смеются надо мной.
aim / point (something) AT … , shoot / fire (a gun) AT …
- Don’t point that knife at me. It’s dangerous.
Не направляй этот нож на меня. Это опасно. - We saw someone with a gun shooting at birds, but he didn’t hit any.
Мы увидели кого-то с ружьем, стреляющего по птицам/в птиц, но он ни в одну не попал.
D
После некоторых глаголов могут следовать at или to, значение при этом меняется. Например:
shout AT somebody (когда вы сердитесь)
- He got very angry and started shouting at me.
Он сильно разозлился и начал кричать на меня.
shout TO somebody (так, чтобы вас услышали)
- He shouted to me from the other side of the street.
Он кричал мне с другой стороны улицы.
throw something AT somebody/something (чтобы в них попало)
- Somebody threw an egg at the minister.
Кто-то бросил яйцо в министра.
throw something TO somebody (для того, чтобы кто-нибудь поймал)
- Lisa shouted ‘Catch!’ and threw the keys to me from the window.
Лиза крикнула ‘Лови!’ и бросила мне ключи из окна.
Упражнения
1. Вы просите кого-нибудь, чтобы вам объяснили то, что вы не понимаете. Напишите вопросы, начиная с Can you explain … ?
- (I don’t understand this word.)
- (I don’t understand what you mean.)
- (I don’t understand this question.)
- (I don’t understand the problem.)
- (I don’t understand how this machine works.)
- (I don’t understand what I have to do.)
2. Выберите to там, где необходимо, или оставьте поле пустым, если предложение уже закончено.
3. Закончите предложения. Используйте следующие глаголы (в правильной форме) + правильный предлог:
explain glance laugh listen point speak throw throw
- I look stupid with this haircut. Everybody will me.
- I don’t understand this. Can you it me?
- Sue and Kevin had an argument and now they’re not one another.
- Be careful with those scissors! Don’t them me!
- I my watch to see what the time was.
- Please me! I’ve got something important to tell you.
- Don’t stones the birds! It’s cruel.
- If you don’t want that sandwich, it the birds. They’ll eat it.
4. Выберите to или at.
ENGLISH GRAMMAR IN USE FOR INTERMEDIATE
UNIT 132. Verb + preposition 1 to and at
|
A |
Verb+ to
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
B |
We do not use to with these verbs:
but write (a letter) to somebody
but reply to an email I a
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
C |
Verb + at
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
|
D |
|
||||||||||||||||||||||
EXERCISES
|
132.1 |
Which is correct? |
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
132,2 |
Complete the sentences. Use these verbs
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
|
132.3 |
Put in to or at.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||
ANSWER KEY
The phrases “explain me” and “explain to me” are different. Only one of them is correct when you want to ask somebody to provide information for you, and this article will look at which is the best one to use.
Which Is Correct: “Explain Me” Or “Explain To Me”?
“Explain to me” is correct when asking somebody to provide further information about an object. You will include the object after the phrase (i.e., “explain to me the origins of this word”). “Explain me” only works when asking someone to explain our characteristics and personalities.
The definition of “explain,” according to The Cambridge Dictionary, is “to make something clear or easy to understand by describing or giving information about it.”
“Explain to me” comes with a direct object after it every time. The phrase “explain to me” cannot work as a standalone sentence because it doesn’t ask the listener to explain anything in particular.
“Explain me” removes “to” from the phrase, meaning we’re no longer being “explained to.” Instead, we’re simply being “explained,” meaning that somebody is studying us and explaining the things that they see.
Is “Explain Me” Or “Explain To Me” Used The Most?
It may already be fairly obvious which of these two phrases is used more frequently. Still, we have the visual representation of both phases that might help you to understand them a little better.
According to this graph, “explain to me” is vastly more popular. We have used it over the last two hundred years to mean the same thing, and it always talks about someone giving us details and information about something.
“Explain me” is only correct when we want somebody to explain us, which is why it’s rarely used. Compared to “explain to me” in the above graph, it looks like “explain me” doesn’t even come off the bottom line.
The two phrases are not interchangeable, which is where a lot of non-native speakers get confused. To help you understand this, look at the following examples:
- Correct: Explain to me again about chimpanzees.
- Incorrect: Explain me the wonders of the universe.
- Correct: Explain to me the history of this country.
- Incorrect: Explain me the hierarchy here.
Is It Ever Correct To Use “Explain Me”?
While “explain me” is rare and very jarring to most native speakers, that doesn’t mean it’s fundamentally wrong. In fact, it still follows all of the expected grammatical rules of a sentence structure; it just doesn’t get used.
“Explain me” is correct only when we want someone to explain something about ourselves. It uses the verb “explain” and the pronoun “me” to ask someone to explain something about ourselves (be it personality or characteristics).
You’ll almost never see this phrase used, and most native speakers will think it’s strange if you say it. That’s because there are better verbs to ask somebody to “explain” you in some way.
For example:
- Describe me
- Evaluate me (i.e., workplace performance)
We might use “describe” as the verb to ask somebody to talk about something specific to do with us rather than the synonymous word “explain.”
Examples Of How To Use “Explain Me” In A Sentence
While “explain me” is jarring and strange, there are still cases where it will work. It’s very specific, but you might use it as follows:
- I’d like you to explain me. I don’t want you to leave anything out!
- Can you explain me? I think that would be really interesting!
- He started explaining me, which had never happened before!
- If you’d stop explaining me for one second, I’d like to put in some input.
“Explain me” is a verb and pronoun combination that means “describe me.” We use it to ask someone to talk about something to do with ourselves, though it’s very rare to come across in normal English speaking and writing.
Examples Of How To Use “Explain To Me” In A Sentence
“Explain to me” is the most popular form and the one that you’re more likely to see. You’ll find it when someone is talking to someone about information or details about a particular thing.
- Can you explain to me why you were late again today?
- Explain to me why we can’t go to Disneyland this year.
- Would you care to explain to me what happened before I write this up?
- He was explaining to me what happened, but I didn’t catch most of it.
- I explained to him how to do it, and he picked it up very quickly.
- She explained to me that it was much easier than I first realized.
- You explained to me the simple history of this country, and I’m thankful for that.
“Explain to me” is a verb form we use when we ask somebody to explain something to us and give us details about it.
We can also replace “me” with any other pronoun (like “him” or “them”) and have it still make sense. The object we use simply refers to the person that we’re explaining something to.
What Does It Mean To Explain To Someone?
We’ve covered all the language rules, but we haven’t taken much time to explain the meaning yet, so we’ll do that now.
When you “explain to someone,” it means you’re helping them to understand something by providing details and information that pertains to that thing. They might have asked you for an explanation, and you are providing that information for their benefit.
When we “explain to someone,” we can use any number of verb tenses for “explain” and any number of pronouns for “someone.” Here are just a few examples of what we can say:
- Explained to me
- Explain to them
- Explaining to him
- Explain to her
- Explain to you
- Explained to us
“Explain Me” And “Explain To Me” – Synonyms
It might help you to go through some synonyms and alternatives to the two phrases as well. If you’re struggling with any of the differences, maybe some of these will be more appropriate for you:
- Give me an explanation of
- Describe to me
- Spell out
- Put into words
- Express in words
- Clarify for me
- Translate for me
- Illustrate
All of the above synonyms are verbs or verb phrases, and they all work well to replace “explain to me.”
“Explain me” is rarely used, which is why we didn’t cover any synonyms for it. You won’t find many native speakers using it. Instead, you can use one of the following, which might be more likely:
- Describe me
- Talk about me
- What do you like about me?
Is It “Can Someone Explain Me” Or “Can Someone Explain To Me”?
Sometimes, we might not ask a specific person to explain something to us. When this happens, we start by saying “can someone” and then asks the phrase “explain to me.”
“Can someone explain to me” is correct when we want to ask somebody in the room to explain something to us. We don’t have a direct target; we just hope that somebody around us knows what’s going on and how to explain it simply.
- Can someone explain to me what’s going on here?
- Can someone explain to me what he just said?
- Can someone explain to me what I should do?
“Can someone explain to me” is a question we ask the room or the people around us. We’re hoping that somebody around us has the answer that we’re looking for that will help us to understand what’s happening.
Is It “Can You Explain To Me” Or “Could You Explain To Me”?
“Can” and “could” are synonymous in most ways, and both are used to start a question asking whether someone is able to do something for us.
“Can you explain to me” is more popular than “could you explain to me.” They are both correct, but “can you” is better at asking somebody to help us out right away, while “could you” is better at being polite and allowing people time to think about helping.
According to this graph, “can you explain to me” is much more popular than “could you explain to me” and has grown exponentially over the last two decades, meaning that it’s by far the most popular choice for native speakers.
Is It “Explain This To Me” Or “Explain This For Me”?
The preposition we use with “explain” is just as important as the sentence structure.
“Explain this to me” is correct because we’re asking somebody to explain something to us, meaning they’re directing the information and explanation to us, which helps us to understand it. “Explain this for me” is incorrect, as “for” is not the right preposition.
According to this graph, “explain this to me” is by far the most popular choice, while “explain this for me” is never used. This shows that “to” is correct, while “for” doesn’t work.
Is It “Explain Me The Meaning” Or “Explain The Meaning To Me”?
Both “explain me the meaning” and “explain the meaning to me” are correct, though most native speakers prefer “explain the meaning to me” as it’s less jarring and follows the standard rules.
According to this graph, both phases are almost identical in usage. “Explain the meaning to me” has been more popular historically, but as of today, both are equal, making them both good choices for you.
Martin holds a Master’s degree in Finance and International Business. He has six years of experience in professional communication with clients, executives, and colleagues. Furthermore, he has teaching experience from Aarhus University. Martin has been featured as an expert in communication and teaching on Forbes and Shopify. Read more about Martin here.