# Explain to me / explain me



## mariente

Are they both correct?'
or is it explain sth to me, o explain me sth?


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## Eugin

¡Hola mariente!

Creo que la versión correcta es: *explain something to me*

Let´s wait the natives` opinion!

EDIT: "Hice trampa" y me fijé en Google con las dos opciones y te copio los resultados: 
Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *5.100.000* de *"explain to me"*.
 
Personalizado Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *1.030.000* de *"explain me"*.


¿Te sirven estos datos?


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## JackieNuca

Explain *to *me


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## mariente

Thank you, i did hear explain me many times. At least i want to know if it is accepted.


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## JackieNuca

mariente said:
			
		

> Thank you, i did hear explain me many times. At least i want to know if it is accepted.


Well, I think here the "to" particle is absolutely necesary. "Explain me" would be as "tell me who I am" or kind of  (That's only what I think anyhow)


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## Eugin

JackieNuca said:
			
		

> "Explain me" would be as "tell me who I am" or kind of  (That's only what I think anyhow)


 
mmmm... but I think "*Tell me who I am*" is correct in English... I think it´s a matter of the colocation of the verb here, not the preposition "of"...

Any natives around here, please? (This question would have been more "_fruitful_" had it been posted in the "English only" forum, I guess... )


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## Eugin

mariente said:
			
		

> Thank you, i did hear explain me many times. At least i want to know if it is accepted.


 
I think what I copied you from Google could be a reliable source of what is accepted and what is not... don´t you think?


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## mariente

Eugin said:
			
		

> ¡Hola mariente!
> 
> Creo que la versión correcta es: *explain something to me*
> 
> Let´s wait the natives` opinion!
> 
> EDIT: "Hice trampa" y me fijé en Google con las dos opciones y te copio los resultados:
> Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *5.100.000* de *"explain to me"*.
> 
> Personalizado Resultados *1* - *10* de aproximadamente *1.030.000* de *"explain me"*.
> 
> 
> ¿Te sirven estos datos?


me sirve gracias. Explain me creo que es slang.
Gracias a todos, saludos


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## cubaMania

Explain it to me. (It is something I want to know about.)
Explain it me. Not accepted.

EDIT: 
Also,
Explain to me what is going on.  Explain to me what is happening.
Explain me what is going on. Not accepted.


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## mariente

What about about explain me?? is it slang?


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## Eugin

Thanks for appearing here, Cuba!!!


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## cubaMania

I do not think it is slang.  I think it is just incorrect.


			
				mariente said:
			
		

> What about about explain me?? is it slang?


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## lilreal

You must say "explain sth to me" not "explain me sth".

The subject following the verb (explain) is what needs to be expanded upon.  JakieNuca is right in that if you say "explain me", you are asking the listener/reader to render some description of yourself.  

Hope it helps.


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## mariente

what about "sing me something" , is it the same?
sing sth to me and sing me sth slang? 
Cubamania, but slang is incorrect the 98% of the cases.
Thank you


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## Eugin

mariente said:
			
		

> Cubamania, but slang is incorrect the 98% of the cases.


 
Who says that? 

As far as I know, slang is not incorrect but rather a sociolinguistic phenomenon, a particular type of vocabulary used by a specifig group (according to age, profession, likes, etc). 

If you want to read more, here is a useful link...


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## mariente

it is incorrect, although the usage has made many words and ways of saying things acceptable. By the way I said 98%, you are not considering the 2% left


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## skatoulitsa

I don't know if it is considered incorrect, but I'm pretty sure that I've heard it being used. Like:
Can you explain me something?

"explain to me" sounds better to me though.

I feel the opposite about the verb "tell" though.
Tell this to me.
Tell me something.

in this case without "to" sounds better, but I don't think the other is incorrect either...


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## Junk

Hmm...It is very common to hear people say "Sing me a song", or "Tell me a story", or "give me a present", without saying the "to". It is possibly more correct/formal to say "Sing a song to me", but the other way is so common that I think it is fairly safe to use in most contexts.

However, I have never, ever heard "Explain me something".


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## mariente

Anyway, if have to put it on an exam i will put the to. But i ve never heard that give me a present or tell me a story were wrong, in fact, (I was taught as correct I saw them on exams) 

Thank you


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## JackieNuca

mariente said:
			
		

> Anyway, if have to put it in an exam i will put the to. But i ve never heard that give me a present or tell me a story were wrong, in fact, (I was taught as correct I saw them on exams)
> 
> Thank you


It isn't the same with all the verbs. As Junk said, "tell me", "sing me", ... are ok, but not "explain me".

You can "tell something to someone" and you can "explain something to someone".
You can "tell someone something" but you can't "explain someone something"


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## mariente

ok, its clear as  water. Thanks guys!


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## mazbook

Just a quick comment here, mariente.  I too have heard "explain me _something_" quite a bit, BUT NEVER from a native English speaker.  It was always from someone using English as a second (or third, or fourth) language, but particularly from native Spanish speakers, as "explicame _algo_" is the correct Spanish for this.

Saludos


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## Hepi22

Explain me is incorrect in English.  You must say Explain to me.  I know that in French and Spanish we say "explique moi" or "_explícame_", but in English you must say "explain to me".  Anything else would be grammatically incorrect.


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## Smac

JackieNuca said:
			
		

> It isn't the same with all the verbs. As Junk said, "tell me", "sing me", ... are ok, but not "explain me".
> 
> You can "tell something to someone" and you can "explain something to someone".
> You can "tell someone something" but you can't "explain someone something"


 
Since I have seen no UK reponses to this question I will add that I agree completely, though I do not know any reason for these differences.

I repeated Eugin's Google search and looked at some of the pages where 'explain me' occurred. All I saw were from forum discussions and all of them either originated from a country with another language, had other errors that suggested a non-native speaker or just quoted the expression from another posting.


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## Eugin

Smac said:
			
		

> I repeated Eugin's Google search and looked at some of the pages where 'explain me' occurred. All I saw were from forum discussions and all of them either originated from a country with another language, had other errors that suggested a non-native speaker or just quoted the expression from another posting.


 
Thanks for mentioning that, smac!!! At least we know now that we are on the right track!!!


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## mullet57

In the old TV Sitcom “I Love Lucy" Ricky un Cubano would often say “Lucy splane me…." It is not good English but is sometimes used by English speakers trying to be funny.


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## Soleiii

Hi, everyone. Regarding the question, 'Explain sth to me' would be the correct way to say it.


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## mardiz

I'm not saying that it's grammatically correct but the phrase 

"Explain me this" is very common.  For example, you may hear your boss say:

Explain me this:  How is it that every time I come out of a meeting I never see anyone at their desk?

(The issue of their being used for 3rd person singular is yet another topic!) 

I wouldn't use that syntax in any other context.


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## Soleiii

mardiz said:


> I'm not saying that it's grammatically correct but the phrase
> 
> "Explain me this" is very common.  For example, you may hear your boss say:
> 
> Explain me this:  How is it that every time I come out of a meeting I never see anyone at their desk?
> 
> (The issue of their being used for 3rd person singular is yet another topic!)
> 
> I wouldn't use that syntax in any other context.



Ok! Thx for the explanation! =)


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## mariente

Thank u ppl, it´s more than clear now!


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## joshw

Yeah, "explain me" is rare, but in casual conversations, I'm sure I've said something similar to:

"Ok, *explain me this*: Halloween is on a Saturday, but we trick-or-treat on Thursday."

This is the only form I can think of that makes any sense. It introduces a statement that you're confused about, and conveys a sense of mild irritation. But it's more common (and correct) to say:

"Ok, *explain this to me*: Halloween is on a Saturday, but we trick-or-treat on Thursday."


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## Lagartija

mazbook said:


> Just a quick comment here, mariente.  I too have heard "explain me _something_" quite a bit, BUT NEVER from a native English speaker.  It was always from someone using English as a second (or third, or fourth) language, but particularly from native Spanish speakers, as "explicame _algo_" is the correct Spanish for this.
> 
> Saludos



I completely agree with Mazbook.  I have only heard non-native speakers say "explain me".  When my Spanish speaking colleagues say it, I just recognize it as a "spanishism", just as I make mistakes in Spanish (like using preguntar instead of pedir....adding para after buscar  )


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## picolo

I agree with Mazbok and Lagartija. "Explain me" is a direct Spanish translation into English that is understood by English speakers as to the intent, but not correct English. 

Re. mardiz's "Explain me this" as an expression of demand, I rarely hear this. This usage reflects laziness on the speaker's part. As joshw points out, more commonly one would hear "explain this to me...." implying confusion and desired clarification.


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## andym

Just as an aside, English was changed radically by the waves of Danish and French/Norman immigrants/invaders, who in learning/adopting English simplified it and transformed it.

'explain me' is just as grammatical as 'tell me'. It's not what most native English speakers would say, but, who knows, in 50 years time maybe it will also be standard english?


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## lforestier

La accion *Explain* y el sujeto de la acción *Me*. Se traduce a *"Explicame como soy"* 
Claro, esa idea no es igual a *Explicame*, que se traduciría a *"Explain it to me"*


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## Smac

picolo said:


> Re. *mardiz*'s "Explain me this" as an expression of demand, I rarely hear this. This usage reflects laziness on the speaker's part. As *joshw* points out, more commonly one would hear "explain this to me...." implying confusion and desired clarification.


I agree, but another possibility is that it is used humorously in the way that *Mullet57* mentioned. 

If the boss cited by *mardiz* is a native speaker, I would definitely interpret the expression as an attempt to draw attention to a problem without making a big issue of it. By using the mildly humorous structure, the criticism is made in a friendly way.


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## mariente

lforestier said:


> La accion *Explain* y el sujeto de la acción *Me*. Se traduce a *"Explicame como soy"*
> Claro, esa idea no es igual a *Explicame*, que se traduciría a *"Explain it to me"*


Explain me está mal


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## mardiz

Hi,
There are two great insights written above: One from *Picolo* that the idiom has an "expression of demand",  and the other from *Joshw* that "it introduces a statement that you're confused about, and conveys a sense of mild irritation."  
 
Based on my experience, those two points portray the very subtle nuances of the idiom.  Moreover they convey a more robust and on-topic explanation than "laziness" or "Spanglish", also suggested above.
 
Mariente, this discussion is probably more than what you gambled for.  For the vast majority of purposes “Explain this to me…” is the correct usage.  On the other hand your post has been a fun exercise in exploring the nuances of a very contemporary and very native whim in speech.
 
Regards,
 
Mardiz


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## Loquamur

The concept of "beneficiary" or "indirect object," expressed with word position *alone,* is limited to certain English verbs.

Monosyllables, and a very few disyllables. These verbs include all monosyllables (e.g., "tell me a store, show me the money, give me five dollars") and a few initial-stress disyllables ("offer me something else, order me two dozen,").

Most disyllables, especially those with final-syllable-stress, and all trisyllables that I've found, effectively prohibit the use of word position alone for "indirect objects." This set of verbs includes: "present, explain, prescribe, display, confirm, estimate, specify, indicate, clarify, discover" -- among others. All such verbs may use *only a prepositional phrase *to show the "beneficiary/indirect object." They cannot take two objects constructed by word order alone.

Several verbs are restricted to only one object (whether direct or indirect) and must cast the additional object as a prepositional phrase: For instance:
- a) Present him with your solution. b) Present your solution to him.
- a) Furnish us with those reports. b) Furnish those reports to us.
- a) Provide her with a new car. b) Provide a new car to/for her.
- a) Supply them with food. b) Supply food to them.

The only exceptions I can think of are the verb "design" ("Design me a better mousetrap!") and the idiom, "Extend someone a courtesy/an offer," both of which do show two true objects, using word position *alone. *Otherwise, you'll always get funny looks from native Anglophones each time you say, "Explain *me*." (I can't even explain myself -- who I am, why I behave like this, etc. -- so how could I possibly explain *you?*)

--Loquamur


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## amygdala

Explain me, is neither slang nor incorrect, just strange.

It would mean to psychoanalyse someone


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## Soy Yo

True...but the original inquiry contained "me" as the indirect object.  "Explain me something" ...which sounds strange and "non-native" regardless of whatever grammar may rule.


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## Lagartija

mardiz said:


> Hi,
> 
> 
> Based on my experience, those two points portray the very subtle nuances of the idiom.  Moreover they convey a more robust and on-topic explanation than "laziness" or "Spanglish", also suggested above.



Since after re-reading the posts for this thread I could find no reference to "Spanglish", I suspected that you were referring to my post.  I didn't say it was "Spanglish" but a spanishism. I differentiate between a "spanishism" and Spanglish.  To me the use of the "explain me" construction is a mistake a native Spanish speaker might make when they use the same construction for English as they would for their native language.  Spanglish (to me) is when a Spanish speaker takes an English verb (such as park or check) and conjugates it in the manner of a Spanish verb, or some such thing.  
I hardly consider either opinion given above as "off-topic".


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## mardiz

Hi,
"Explain me" gets funny looks.
"Expain me this..." gets your attention.

There's a great example written by a native speaker at this forum thread:

talkback.zdnet.com/5208-1148-0.html

forumID=1&threadID=11563&messageID=231213&start=-1

Sorry for the inconvenience.  If you are going to follow it you needs to link the 2 pieces and probably put the h ttp thing in front.

Regards,

Mardiz


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## Soy Yo

OK: but it doesn' seem to work with http:// either


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## mardiz

Soy Yo,
Then google 

explain me this

The 4th entry should be something like

Explain me this,  then...  -- John Le'Brecage's comment on "China ...

Click on that.

Signing off,

Mardiz


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## Soy Yo

OK, thanks, mardiz.


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## Loquamur

The point at issue here is "explain" + *indirect object* + direct object, a construction that requires two objects and no usage of prepositional objects as circumlocutory objects.

Of course, in psychological descriptions (as in my joke at the end of my post), we are dealing with a direct object directly after "explain."  Of course, that is permitted.  That was not the topic under discussion, however.

Again, I restate:  English prohibits (except for comic effect) the use of *indirect objects *immediately after virtually all disyllabic verbs.

--Loquamur


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## emicdio

How about: "explain to her"? 
Can I also say: "explain her"?


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## mullet57

emicdio said:


> How about: "explain to her"?
> Can I also say: "explain her"?


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## Lagartija

emicdio said:


> How about: "explain to her"?
> Can I also say: "explain her"?



No.   You must always explain something *to* someone.
Otherwise it sounds wrong to a native English speaker.
If the speaker wants to say "explain her" without the "to" then the only correct usage would be:  "Explain her actions *to me*."
The "to" is critical with this verb.  Just as the Spanish verb Ir takes "a", there are some verbs that require a preposition.  Explain is one of them.


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## aztlaniano

amygdala said:


> Explain me, is neither slang nor incorrect, just strange.
> It would mean to psychoanalyse someone


Efectivamente, sin el "to", se entiende que "me" es el complemento _directo, _que yo soy lo que se debe explicar.
Es imprescindible el "to" para que el interlocutor sepa que "me" es el complemento _indirecto_.
Ej.
Explain her to me. Explícamela.
Explain me to her. Explícale (a ella) cómo soy yo, por qué me he portado así, qué relación tú tienes conmigo, etc.


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## FromPA

There are certain verbs that allow the construction "verb + IO pronoun + DO," but it is not possible with most verbs:

give me (IO) the keys (DO)  = give the keys to me
tell me (IO) a story (DO)  = tell the story to me
You cannot use this construction with "explain"

explain me the story 
explain the story to me 
I don't know why it works with some verbs and not others.  If you follow the verb "explain" with a pronoun, it will be interpreted as the direct object (or as a bad sentence from a non-native - Ricky Ricardo used to say this all the time on the TV show "I Love Lucy" and it always got a big laugh).  

So in conclusion, this is not a slang expression, it's just a bad non-native translation.


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