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"Explain" is to give a detailed account of why or how; "tell" is to communicate information or a story.
Side-by-side comparison
To make something clear or understandable by giving reasons, details, or instructions.
Can you explain how this machine works? I have never used it before.
The teacher explained the grammar rule three times until everyone understood.
She explained why she was late, but I couldn't really follow her reasoning.
To communicate information, facts, instructions, or stories to someone.
Tell me about your trip to Mexico. How was it?
He told me that the meeting was canceled.
She told her children a bedtime story every night.
Common mistake
"Explain me" is incorrect in English: "explain" always needs "to" before the pronoun ("explain TO me", "explain it to me"). "Tell" goes directly: "tell me", "tell her". And to describe a process, use "explain how it works", not "tell how it works".
Trick to remember it
- •"Tell" + person directly (tell me, tell him).
- •"Explain" + to + person (explain to me, explain it to her) or "explain" + clause (explain why, explain how).
- •Passing along simple information: tell.
- •Giving reasons or making something clear: explain.
Quick rule
"Tell" + person directly. "Explain" + to + person. Tell = simple information. Explain = reasons, instructions, understanding.
Did you know?
"Explain" comes from Latin "explanare", literally "to flatten" (ex- = out, planus = flat). The original idea was "to make something level, free of obstacles for understanding". It is the same root as "plain" (flat, clear, simple) in English. When you explain something, you are mentally "flattening" it to make it easier to understand, the spatial metaphor of clearing the path to understanding is embedded in the word itself.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
Can you _____ me how the coffee machine works? I can't figure it out.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
Can you _____ me the time? I left my phone at home.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
Both mean 'to say', but 'tell' always needs to know who receives the message.
"Say" is to produce words; "mean" is the intention or meaning behind them.
"Above" is at a higher level without contact; "over" implies covering, movement, or crossing.
'Currently' means 'at the present time'; 'actually' means 'in reality', not 'nowadays'.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy