# explain to me OR explain me?



## roxcyn

I am just curious what forms everyone uses because I have seen people use various forms.  So I want you to read the following sentence:

A) Please *explain to me* how to do this math problem.  

As a native speaker I usually say "explain to me" or "explain".  I have seen some native speakers say "explain me".  So my question is, which forms do you use?

i) *explain* 
ii) *explain to me*
iii) *explain me*

Thank you all in advance


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## SweetSoulSister

roxcyn said:


> i) *explain*
> ii) *explain to me*
> iii) *explain me*


Hi rox 
I would only say i) or ii).  I agree that iii) is odd and I don't think I have ever heard a native say it before.


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## ghoti

SweetSoulSister said:


> Hi rox
> I would only say i) or ii). I agree that iii) is odd and I don't think I have ever heard a native say it before.


 
#3 sounds very Ricky Ricardo in _I Love Lucy_. "Loosee, you got some 'splainin' to do...."


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## Trina

I also find "explain me" strange. To me, it sounds like I am asking someone to explain me (that is... why am I here? why do I exist? .... explain what I am about)


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## jazyk

> Hi rox
> I would only say i) or ii).  I agree that iii) is odd and I don't think I have ever heard a native say it before.


I have, and it struck me as really odd: Paul Buchmann in Mad About You.


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## cuchuflete

_i)_ is normal.
_iv)_ is acceptable:   Please *tell me *how to do this math problem.


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## hamlet

Can you say "explain me something" as in "bring me something" or is it "explain something to me"? If you can indeed _(if you indeed can?)_ then can you also say "explain me why you weren't here" or does it have to be "explain to me why"? Is there a general rule for that?


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## tepatria

"Can you explain something to me ?" would be the correct way of expressing this. We do not explain you something ever, though we will willingly bring you something.


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## hamlet

That's perfect thanks


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## roxcyn

Background: I'm a native English speaker from USA.  I always use "explain X to Y.".  For example: I explained *how to use the toaster* to *Sara*, however I have noticed that some speakers of English will say: 

a) Explain me it!  (I'd say: "Explain it to me!")
b) Explain me why you didn't me.  (I'd use "explain to me...")


So which speakers use this construction or is it just plain wrong and we shouldn't be using it?  

Thanks a lot!

Roxcyn


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## bellajane

There is a WHOLE other language out there that passes as English, where you hear all kinds of crap talk like:  Explain me it!;  and  Explain me why you didn't me. 

Word up! I hear ya brotha. Why you wanna do me like that? My Baby Daddy almost home and then we'll see who gonna be the leader here. 
______________________________________________________________
If you are in a position to gently correct this language the Grammar angels will bless you.


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## GamblingCamel

roxcyn said:


> b) Explain me why you didn't me. (I'd use "explain to me...")


_R: _Please provide the whole equivalent sentence, as you would say it. 
I'm not entirely sure what the "..." refers to.


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## roxcyn

Oops I do apologize for the last sentence.  It was a typo.  It should have stated:

"b) Explain me why you didn't give me the present.  (I'd use "Explain to me me why you didn't give me the present.").

Now, I am just stating questions because these are educated people (who have graduated from university) that I hear say these phrases.  Does anyone else and should we be saying them?  Thank you.


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## GreenWhiteBlue

There is a world of difference between being an educated person, and having a university diploma. I have known more than one person who graduated from a university, yet was an ignoramus.

While "explain" is a transitive verb, the object of the act of explaining is the thing made plain or clear, and not the person to whom the explanation is given:

_The teacher *explained the meaning* of "mitosis" to the class._
_The preacher *explained a difficult passage* in the book of Isaiah to the congregation._
_The judge *explained the law* to the jurors._
_Our guide on the factory tour *explained** the process* of smelting iron._

To treat the indirect object (the class, the congregation, the jurors, the people taking the tour) as the direct object, while apparently treating the direct object as the indirect object, is simply wrong.


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## tigerduck

Hello

Is the preposition _to _in the following sentence optinoal or necessary?

_The following text will explain (to) you how the refrigerator cools food._

Thank you.


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## RoseLilly

It's mandatory.  

explain something
explain to someone


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## Setwale_Charm

There is no way you can attach an indirect object to the verb "explain" without "to".


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## Akasaka

Hello everyone,

This may be a tough question, but which verb other than "explain" can fit in all the blanks?

Will you ____ to me the matter?
Will you ____ the matter to me?
He ____ed to me how to do the work.
He ____ed to me that she could not attend the meeting.
Please ____ why you are angry.

Thanks in advance.


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## nzfauna

The first sentence sounds unnatural.

You could put a number of verbs in the gaps.

E.g highlight.


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## Istarion

nzfauna (Original post amended) said:


> Only the last two sentences work.



I would say that all of them work, although the first one is a little awkward - the second is a much more natural version.

Also, to the OP: Please try and suggest your own answers to a question for other people to correct or explain, rather than simply asking the question.

I.


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## Akasaka

nzfauna said:


> Only the last two sentences work.
> 
> You could put a number of verbs in the gaps.
> 
> E.g highlight.


 
Hi nzfauna,
Thanks for your reply. But I'm afraid you don't understand my question. I would like to know which one same verb, not some verbs respectively, can fit in the blan. For example, I don't know whether I am correct or not, but ...

Will you *whisper* to me the matter?
Will you *whisper *the matter to me?
He *whispered* to me how to do the work.
He *whispered* to me that she could not attend the meeting.
Please *whisper *why you are angry.


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## nzfauna

I think I did understand. And I suggested the verb "highlight".

I also ammended my post.


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## Akasaka

nzfauna said:


> I think I did understand. And I suggested the verb "highlight".
> 
> I also ammended my post.


My apologies, nzfauna. I'm the one who didn't understand. I didn't imagine hightlight could be in the blank, so I disregarded the part. Sorry.


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## Rover_KE

A thesaurus will give you synonyms, but 'explain' is the best word to use in all these sentences.

The fourth sentence would sound better as 'He explained to me WHY she could not attend the meeting.'

Rover


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## Akasaka

Hello everyone,

Will you explain to me the matter?
Will you explain the matter to me?

My question: 
1. The first sentence sounds unnatural and the second sound natural. Is this true?

2. Is the first sentence grammatically correct?

Thanks in advance.


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## Hole

The first one is not correct.


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## Istarion

Rover_KE said:


> The fourth sentence would sound better as 'He explained to me WHY she could not attend the meeting.'



That just changes the meaning. Explaining to someone that you can't attend a meeting is not the same as giving them a reason for it.

I.


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## Setwale_Charm

Constructions of the "verb + the indirect object + the direct object" are rarely acceptable and only in the most formal style, legalese sometimes.


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## Matching Mole

I think the first example is very unlikely to be heard as it stands with such a simple indirect object (matter). If the object was more complex, the construction might be heard (as Setwale_Charm says) in formal or old-fashioned speech. Here is an example of what I mean:

"Would you explain to me the _matter at hand_?"

This is the sort of phrasing one might come across in 19th c. English, or older, or in the speech of those who still sometimes speak like this.


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## Rover_KE

In that case you simply say 'He _told/informed_ me that she could not attend the meeting', as nothing is being explained.

Rover


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## essex

Hi,
Is it correct to say "in order to explain them the situation" or "in order to explain the situation to them"?
Thanks


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## mal67

essex said:


> Hi,
> Is it correct to say "in order to explain them the situation"
> or "in order to explain the situation to them"?
> Thanks



Not sure what this has to do with the thread title, though...


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## Mjolnir

I agree with mal


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## Ocham

Hello, everyone

We were taught at school that "explain(ed) me/us/him" is wrong, 
and we must put "to" right before the object. I'd like to know how 
often you omit "to." Is the construction without "to" so commonly 
used?


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## Brioche

I never omit "to".

_Please explain to me why you have .....

He explained to me the difference between kanji and kana.

She explained the plot of the play to me.


_


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## panjandrum

The object of _explain _is the thing that is to be explained.
_Explain _does not take two objects - direct and indirect - the way some verbs do.

For example, _give_:
Give the ball to me. 
Give me the ball.

This does not work with _explain_.
Explain the problem to me. 
Explain me the problem.


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## Ocham

Thanks a lot.
I have a clearer understanding now.


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## Ocham

Hi, everyone

I've often heard people say "Please explain *me* the meaning." 
or something like that. My dictionary says it's not standard 
but often accepted. What I'd like to know is whether there 
are other examples of the same kind in which *me* or *us* is 
used where it should not be.

Examples:
1) He suggested *me* that ...
2) He proposed *me* that ...
3) They announced *us* that ...
4) She confessed *me* that ...
5) He proved *me* that ...
6) She admitted *him* that ...
7) She complained *me* that ...
8) They required *me *to do ...


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## Meeracat

In the examples you quote the problem is not the use of *me* or *us* but the failure to use *to*. You can say "He suggested that . . ." or "He suggested *to* me/us that . . ."

Edit: You could also say: "He told me that . . ."


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## valskyfrance

Meeracat said:


> In the examples you quote the problem is not the use of *me* or *us* but the failure to use *to*. You can say "He suggested that . . ." or "He suggested *to* me/us that . . ."


 
hi,

do you have to insert "to" in each Ocham's example here ?

thanks a lot


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## Meeracat

valskyfrance said:


> hi,
> 
> do you have to insert "to" in each Ocham's example here ?
> 
> thanks a lot


 Yes you do with the exception of 8) which is fine.


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## black.x.white

Ocham, either your dictionary is terribly mistaken, or this phrase is a regional thing, because I've never heard "explain me the meaning" being used, let alone used frequently. 

"Please explain the meaning to me" would be the grammatically correct sentence, but it's still too much of a mouthful to be used frequently.


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## valskyfrance

Meeracat said:


> Yes you do with the exception of 8) which is fine.


 
Many thanks


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## Kevin Beach

This sounds like the archaic use of "me" in the dative. It still exists in such modern phrases as "give me the pen", but current use seems to be limited to verbs expressing physical actions.

I've often heard it used in relation to non-physical verbs by Irish speakers, particularly from more traditional areas.


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## Ocham

Many many thanks to all of you.


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## panjandrum

I'm not sure if this is directly relevant, but I came across a site that includes a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs such as _give, tell, teach, sing _that take a direct object and indirect object.
Click Here.

I haven't checked the list of verbs (disclaimer ).

I'm curious about Kevin's suggestion that treating verbs (such as explain) as if they were ditransitive is an Irish "thing".  That wouldn't have occurred to me, but that means nothing.  I must go and have a think.


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## Kevin Beach

panjandrum said:


> I'm not sure if this is directly relevant, but I came across a site that includes a list of ditransitive verbs - verbs such as _give, tell, teach, sing _that take a direct object and indirect object.
> Click Here.
> 
> I haven't checked the list of verbs (disclaimer ).
> 
> I'm curious about Kevin's suggestion that treating verbs (such as explain) as if they were ditransitive is an Irish "thing".  That wouldn't have occurred to me, but that means nothing.  I must go and have a think.


That's a novel way to spell "drink", panj.


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## jimmyy

Hi,

Can you please help me out on this question:
Which sentence is the correct one:
1. "He explained me something" 
2. "He explained to me something"

For me the first one sounds better.

Regards,
jimmyy


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## Illuminatus

The second sentence is correct.
You explain something to someone.


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## liliput

I wouldn't use either of these, I suggest a third option; "He explained something to me".


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## Gypsyjade

I would use ...he explained something to me


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## Full Tilt Boogie

He explained something to me.


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## Nena19

liliput and Gypsyjade are right, it should be: He explained something to me.


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## Illuminatus

Three posts at the same time!

_He explained to me something_ sounds odd but if you actually replace the something, it is OK. Eg. _He explained to me the difference between good and bad._


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## Nena19

Illuminatus said:


> Three posts at the same time!
> 
> _He explained to me something_ sounds odd but if you actually replace the something, it is OK. Eg. _He explained to me the difference between good and bad._



Actually, in this case, I would still say: He explained the difference between good and evil _to me_.


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## Illuminatus

So would I, but the sentence still stands valid, meaningful and sufficiently idiomatic. Since the original question was regarding the usage of _to_, I found it better to keep the rest of the sentence intact.


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## Dimcl

jimmyy said:


> Hi,
> Can you please help me out on this question:
> Which sentence is the correct one:
> 1. "He explained me something"
> 2. "He explained to me something"
> 
> For me the first one sounds better.


 
The only reason that the first one sounds better to you, Jimmy, is because you've obviously heard it said by non-native-speakers or uneducated people who don't know any better or people who _choose _to use bad grammar (and, yes, there are many of those).  It is absolutely incorrect.

Your second sentence is also awkward (as indicated by Nena and Illuminatus).  "He explained to me" would usually be followed by "that" ie:

"He explained to me *that* I'm not old enough to drive yet"

Idiomatically, your second sentence would be said as:

"He explained something to me"


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## una madre

roxcyn said:


> Background: I'm a native English speaker from USA.  I always use "explain X to Y.".  For example: I explained *how to use the toaster* to *Sara*, however I have noticed that some speakers of English will say:
> 
> a) Explain me it!  (I'd say: "Explain it to me!")
> b) Explain me why you didn't me.  (I'd use "explain to me...")
> 
> 
> So which speakers use this construction or is it just plain wrong and we shouldn't be using it?
> 
> Thanks a lot!
> 
> Roxcyn



It's "just plain wrong." 

(I had no idea people speak like that!)


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## Nena19

I think non-native speakers use the constructions pointed out by roxcyn. I've heard Spanish speakers (who are learning English) use it a lot, basically because they directly translate the phrase (in the same order) from Spanish (i.e. ¡Explícamelo!). The order, however, must be changed when translated to English.


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## mrxkms

Actually, your replies were very helpful.
However, does the structure _*explain me*_ convey a specific meaning in some contexts? What made me read this thread was that I came across the same structure in Obama's book _A Promised Land_

Here is the text (I am sorry because it is a little bit long, but I couldn't just extract the *explain me* sentence only. 

It was the America of Lincoln at Gettysburg, and Jane Addams toiling in a Chicago settlement home, and weary GIs at Normandy, and Dr. King on the National Mall summoning courage in others and in himself. It was the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, crafted by flawed but brilliant thinkers who reasoned their way to a system at once sturdy and capable of change.

*An America that could explain me.*

“Dream on, Barack” is how those arguments with my college friends would usually end, as some smug bastard dropped a newspaper in front of me, its headlines trumpeting the U.S. invasion of Grenada or cuts in the school lunch program or some other disheartening news. “Sorry, but that’s your America.”


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## sdgraham

Your sentence uses the transitive version of "explain, e.g."
Can you explain calculus?​I will explain global warming to you.​I can explain my absence.​This usage is not the subject of the original post. 
Your sentence means, more or less, "explain why I am the way I am."


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## mrxkms

sdgraham said:


> This usage is not the subject of the original post.


Yes, you are right. I read the post and I knew it was about the structure of _*explain+to*_

I do know that my question is not relevant the this post discussion. However, I just wanted to know what does it mean when we use the structure *explain me* apart from the structure of *explain to*




sdgraham said:


> Your sentence means, more or less, "explain why I am the way I am."


 
Does it mean because of America *"I am the way I am"* as you have already suggested? or let me say it in other words, does it mean "America made me what I am"?


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## elprofe

mrxkms said:


> Yes, you are right. I read the post and I knew it was about the structure of _*explain+to*_
> 
> I do know that my question is not relevant the this post discussion. However, I just wanted to know what does it mean when we use the structure *explain me* apart from the structure of *explain to*
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Does it mean because of America *"I am the way I am"* as you have already suggested? or let me say it in other words, does it mean "America made me what I am"?



No.

*Explain me* is an odd sentence because the object after "explain" is *what *you explain. Therefore, _*Explain me*_ means something along the lines of *give an explanation of me. *As you may guess, we can give a description of someone, but we can't give an explanation of someone, that's why _explain me_ doesn't make much sense, but _describe me_ does make sense


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## sdgraham

elprofe said:


> but we can't give an explanation of someone,


We do it all the time, or at least attempt to, in biographies, tell-alls (such as the following image)


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## elprofe

sdgraham said:


> We do it all the time, or at least attempt to, in biographies, tell-alls (such as the following image)
> 
> Sorry, I should have read the whole thread before taking part in it. I assumed Mrxkms was asking about the differences between "explain me" and "explain to me", rather than grasp the meaning of "explain me" in the sentence about Obama.
> Sorry for the confusion!


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## mrxkms

Thank you elprofe, but I  really got lost



elprofe said:


> *Explain me* is an odd sentence because the object after "explain" is *what *you explain.



I really understand this, and I never misused the verb explain. I always say for example explain to me how... or explain this to me. When I read *An America that could explain me* in Obama's book, I stopped and felt like "how can America explain him?!" I read the sentence many times thoroughly to understand what he wants to say in this sentence.

To some extent, sdgraham made it clear to me when he said that this "sentence means, more or less, "explain why I am the way I am." "

However, sdgraham's last reply complicated the things to me. I couldn't understand how to relate the image to my question concerning Obama's sentence *An America that could explain me*


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## mrxkms

Actually, I am asking what would it mean when some native speaker say "explain me" just as Obama said in his sentence *An America that could explain me*


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## sdgraham

mrxkms said:


> Actually, I am asking what would it mean when some native speaker say*s* "explain me" just as Obama said in his sentence *An America that could explain me*


One more try: What America has done could explain me, i.e. my thoughts and actions.


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## mrxkms

sdgraham said:


> One more try: What America has done could explain me, i.e. my thoughts and actions.



Sorry sdgraham
I still cant understand "explain me"
Did you mean "What America has done could explain or interpret my thoughts and actions."?


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## sdgraham

See No. 2 below:
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2021
ex•plain _/ɪkˈspleɪn/_  v. 

to make clear or understandable:[~ + object]Please explain your plan.[~ + (that) clause]I explained that the mistakes were my own.
*to give the cause or reason of;
account for:[~ + object]How do you explain such rude behavior?[no object]I asked her to explain.*


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## PaulQ

mrxkms said:


> I still can't understand "explain me"


Try

A: "What happened here!"
B(i): "Wait! I can explain." = I can give an explanation
B(ii): "Wait! I can explain it." = I can give an explanation of it (i.e. "what has happened here".) I explain it and "it" is explained.
B(iii): "Wait! I can explain it to you." = I can give an explanation of it for your benefit.

Now change A's exclamation:

A: "You are the weirdest person in the world! I don't understand anything that you do! I think you are mad!"
B(iv): "Wait! I can explain." = I can give an explanation
B(v): "Wait! I can explain me." = I can give an explanation of me (i.e. "my character and my characteristics".) I explain it and "me" is explained.
B(vi): "Wait! I can explain me to you." = I can give an explanation of my character and my characteristics for your benefit.

*Me *can have the meaning of "my character and my characteristics"


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## mrxkms

Thank you very much indeed

You really were of great help to me.
You both gave a detailed explanation of _*explain me*_, and now it is crystal clear.

I am sorry for asking alot of questions. I just want to be sure that I understood the sentence the way it was meant to be.

So, based on your explanation, if I applied this to Obama's sentence ( *An America that could explain me *), would it mean that America could explain my character and characteristics? I cant understand it in another way since the subject of the sentence is America not a person.

Would it sound normal to say that America could explain my character. Or America could "explain why I am the way I am" as sdgraham suggested earlier?

One more thing, does *explain* in Obama's sentence mean to clarify and interpret? I am afraid that I am reading the word in a way different from what it really means in this text.


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## mrxkms

PaulQ said:


> Wait! I can explain me to you." = I can give an explanation of my character and my characteristics for your benefit.



Great! Very clear.
Your examples are very clear and hit the point of _*explain me*_, but when I apply this to my sentence , I cant be sure whether my reading is correct or not. The problem is not in understanding *explain me* but in how it is functioning in my sentence.

What confuses me is that how would America explain his behaviour, character, what he is, or the way he is.

We may say for example
-America gave me power, money, fame etc.

But when it comes to _America explains me, _it sounds strange to me though it is not to you as native speakers.

Please, do me a favour and I would be grateful. Would you please convey to me the writer's implied message in *An America that could explain me* using words other than "explain me".

Or at least let me know based on your explanations and examples if my readings are correct or not:

1- What America has done could explain or interpret my thoughts and actions.

2- Because of America *"I am the way I am"*

Please forgive me for too much asking and bear in mind that I am not a native speaker, so such expressions may lead me to wrong understanding if they are not understood well.


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## PaulQ

mrxkms said:


> But when it comes to _America explains me, _it sounds strange to me though it is not to you as native speakers.


Without context, it sounds very strange to a native speaker, too. sdgraham @ #68 give an example *in context* of "explain me". Normally, we would say "America (= Being brought up in America/America's recent history)  explains why I am like this".

Do not worry about this. It is highly unlikely that you will see or hear it, and if you do, you should now understand its meaning.

We do not *usually* use a person as the object of "explain." We explain some*thing* *{*to some*one}*.
We might try to explain someone's behaviour/character, etc., but this is "something", not someone.

I explained the plan to him and he understood the plan.
I explained him to the plan and the plan understood him.   This is obviously nonsense.


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## mrxkms

Thank you PaulQ
Thank you sdgraham



PaulQ said:


> Normally, we would say "America (= Being brought up in America/America's recent history) explains why I am like this".



Now, I can say that I understand what "explain me" means in this sentence. 




PaulQ said:


> Without context, it sounds very strange to a native speaker, too.



By the way, I posted the text in my first reply in this thread. 

Here it is




mrxkms said:


> It was the America of Lincoln at Gettysburg, and Jane Addams toiling in a Chicago settlement home, and weary GIs at Normandy, and Dr. King on the National Mall summoning courage in others and in himself. It was the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, crafted by flawed but brilliant thinkers who reasoned their way to a system at once sturdy and capable of change.
> 
> *An America that could explain me.*
> 
> “Dream on, Barack” is how those arguments with my college friends would usually end, as some smug bastard dropped a newspaper in front of me, its headlines trumpeting the U.S. invasion of Grenada or cuts in the school lunch program or some other disheartening news. “Sorry, but that’s your America.”



Thank you very much indeed


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## b1947420

roxcyn said:


> I am just curious what forms everyone uses because I have seen people use various forms.  So I want you to read the following sentence:
> 
> A) Please *explain to me* how to do this math problem.
> 
> As a native speaker I usually say "explain to me" or "explain".  I have seen some native speakers say "explain me".  So my question is, which forms do you use?
> 
> i) *explain*
> ii) *explain to me*
> iii) *explain me*
> 
> Thank you all in advance


In the imperative mood, we could use "explain it me" but I don't hear that usage much these days.
Otherwise, I broadly agree with the other responses


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