How to Ask a Teacher to Explain a Problem in French
Learn to ask a teacher or classmate to explain an academic problem in French, using demander d'expliquer, pouvoir, and polite classroom phrases.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you are stuck on a math exercise, a grammar rule, or a reading passage, you need more than a general request for help. You need to ask someone to explain the problem itself. In French, this usually means using the verb expliquer followed by a noun such as le problème, l'exercice, or la règle. You also need a polite way to ask whether the person can do it. This lesson gives you five ready phrases, the grammar pattern behind them, and a short classroom dialogue.
By the end, you can…
- ask a teacher or classmate to explain an academic problem in French.
- use pouvoir and expliquer politely to request an explanation.
- name the specific thing I need explained, such as un exercice or une règle.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
Pouvez-vous expliquer ce problème, s'il vous plaît ?
Can you explain this problem, please?
poo-vay VOO ex-plee-KAY suh proh-BLEM, seel voo PLAY
Standard polite form with vous. Use it with a teacher, a tutor, or an adult you do not know well. The object ce problème points to one specific problem.
Tu peux m'expliquer cet exercice ?
Can you explain this exercise to me?
tew puh mex-plee-KAY set eg-zer-SEESS
Informal tu form. Use it with a classmate, a friend, or a sibling. The pronoun m' means 'to me' and comes before the verb.
Je ne comprends pas cette règle. Vous pouvez l'expliquer ?
I don't understand this rule. Can you explain it?
zhuh nuh kom-prahn PA set REHGL. voo poo-vay lex-plee-KAY
States the difficulty first, then asks for an explanation. The pronoun l' replaces la règle and avoids repeating the noun.
Est-ce que vous pouvez expliquer la méthode, s'il vous plaît ?
Can you explain the method, please?
ess kuh voo poo-vay ex-plee-KAY la may-TUD, seel voo PLAY
Est-ce que is a common way to form a yes-or-no question in everyday French. Use this when you want to know how to do something, not just what the answer is.
Pourriez-vous m'expliquer ce devoir ?
Could you explain this homework to me?
poo-ree-ay VOO mex-plee-KAY suh duh-VWAR
More formal and softer than pouvez-vous. Pourriez-vous is a polite conditional form. Use it with a teacher you respect or in a formal tutoring session.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is pouvoir + expliquer + the thing you need explained. In a formal question, invert the subject and verb: Pouvez-vous expliquer ce problème ? In informal speech, keep normal word order and use tu: Tu peux expliquer ce problème ? You can also add a pronoun before expliquer: Tu peux m'expliquer cet exercice ? means 'Can you explain this exercise to me?' The pronoun m' is the elided form of me, used before a vowel sound; in speech the two words run together and sound like mex-plee-KAY. To be more polite, replace pouvez with pourriez: Pourriez-vous expliquer la règle ?
When to use it
Use these phrases for academic help, not for general favors. Asking Pouvez-vous m'aider ? is fine for carrying books, but for schoolwork you should name the object: ce problème, cet exercice, cette règle, ce devoir, or cette question. If you only say 'Can you explain?' without an object, French speakers may ask 'Expliquer quoi ?' ('Explain what?'). In class, raise your hand and say: Madame, pouvez-vous expliquer cette règle, s'il vous plaît ? With a classmate, say: Tu peux m'expliquer cet exercice ? Regional note: In Quebec, you may hear the informal tu form more often in tutoring settings, but vous remains standard with teachers in France, Belgium, and Switzerland.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Excusez-moi, madame. Pouvez-vous expliquer ce problème, s'il vous plaît ?
Excuse me, ma'am. Can you explain this problem, please?ex-kew-zay MWA, ma-DAM. poo-vay VOO ex-plee-KAY suh proh-BLEM, seel voo PLAYBien sûr. Quel problème exactement ?
Of course. Which problem exactly?byan SOOR. kel proh-BLEM eg-zak-tuh-MAHNJe ne comprends pas la deuxième étape. Pouvez-vous l'expliquer ?
I don't understand the second step. Can you explain it?zhuh nuh kom-prahn PA la duh-ZYEM ay-TAP. poo-vay VOO lex-plee-KAYOui. Regardez : on additionne d'abord, puis on multiplie.
Yes. Look: first we add, then we multiply.WEE. ruh-gar-DAY: on a-dee-syon DABOR, pwee on mewl-tee-PLEEA little context goes a long way
In French classrooms, students often address teachers with vous and madame or monsieur. Using tu with a teacher can sound too familiar unless the teacher invites it. S'il vous plaît is expected in a polite request, and merci after the explanation is standard. In some informal study groups, tu is normal, but vous is the safer choice when you are unsure.
One thing to watch for
Saying Pouvez-vous expliquer-moi ce problème ?
Try this instead: Do not use the stressed pronoun moi after the verb here. Use the indirect object pronoun m' before expliquer: Pouvez-vous m'expliquer ce problème ? The form expliquer-moi is not standard in this polite question.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How would you politely ask a teacher to explain 'this rule' in French?
Show a sample answer
Pouvez-vous expliquer cette règle, s'il vous plaît ?
This uses the polite vous form, the verb expliquer, and the feminine demonstrative cette with règle. Pourriez-vous expliquer cette règle ? is also correct and slightly more formal.
2Rewrite 'Tu peux expliquer cet exercice ?' with the pronoun meaning 'to me.'
Show a sample answer
Tu peux m'expliquer cet exercice ?
The indirect object pronoun m' comes before the infinitive expliquer. In informal French, this is the natural way to say 'Can you explain this exercise to me?'
3What is the difference between Pouvez-vous and Pourriez-vous in this lesson?
Show a sample answer
Pourriez-vous is more formal and softer than Pouvez-vous.
Pourriez-vous is the conditional form and sounds more deferential. Both are polite, but Pourriez-vous is useful with a teacher or in a formal setting.
To ask for an academic explanation in French, use pouvoir or pourriez + m'expliquer + the specific object, such as ce problème, cet exercice, or cette règle. Add s'il vous plaît for polite requests.
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