How to Ask for Help with a Problem in Spanish: Academic Explanations
Learn to ask a teacher or classmate to explain an academic problem in Spanish using ¿Me puedes explicar...? and related phrases for elementary learners.
By PookieFriends & plans · Yapr Learn
When you are stuck on a math exercise, a grammar rule, or a science concept, you need a clear way to ask for an explanation. In Spanish, the most direct and polite request is ¿Me puedes explicar...? (Can you explain... to me?). This lesson teaches you how to ask for academic help, name the problem, and check that you understood. You will practice with a teacher or a classmate in Latin American Spanish, with notes on regional differences.
By the end, you can…
- ask someone to explain an academic problem using ¿Me puedes explicar...?
- name the subject or topic I need help with.
- ask a follow-up question to check my understanding.
Listen once. Try it slowly. Then say it without looking.
Checking available voices…
¿Me puedes explicar este problema?
Can you explain this problem to me?
meh PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR EHS-teh proh-BLEH-mah
Use with a classmate or someone you know well. For a teacher you do not know well, use ¿Me puede explicar...? (formal).
No entiendo este ejercicio de matemáticas.
I don't understand this math exercise.
noh ehn-TYEHN-doh EHS-teh eh-hehr-SEE-syoh deh mah-teh-MAH-tee-kahs
State the subject after de: de matemáticas, de gramática, de química. This tells the listener exactly what kind of help you need.
¿Puedes explicarme cómo se resuelve?
Can you explain to me how it is solved?
PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR-meh KOH-moh seh reh-SWEHL-veh
Use this when you want the steps or method, not just the answer. The pronoun me attaches to the infinitive explicar.
¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?
Can you explain it to me again?
meh loh PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR OH-trah vehs
Use when you heard the explanation but need repetition. The pronoun lo refers to the problem or topic already mentioned.
¿Entiendes lo que quiero decir?
Do you understand what I mean?
ehn-TYEHN-dehs loh keh KYEH-roh deh-SEER
Use this to check that the other person understands your question before they answer. It is not asking them to explain yet.
Pronunciation guides are approximate. Slow playback keeps the original pitch.
Make it make sense
Useful pattern
The core pattern is ¿Me puedes explicar + [the thing]? or ¿Me puedes explicar cómo + [verb]? For example: ¿Me puedes explicar este problema? (Can you explain this problem to me?) and ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se hace? (Can you explain how it is done?). You can also use the formal ¿Me puede explicar...? with a teacher. To name the subject, add de + subject: un problema de física (a physics problem), una duda de historia (a history question). The pronoun me means 'to me' and comes before the conjugated verb puedes or puede. If you use an infinitive, me can attach to it: explicarme.
When to use it
Use these phrases when you need an academic explanation, not a general favor. For a general favor like opening a window, you would say ¿Me puedes ayudar? (Can you help me?) or ¿Me abres la ventana? (Can you open the window for me?). For schoolwork, be specific: say the subject and the type of problem. For example: No entiendo esta ecuación. ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se resuelve? (I don't understand this equation. Can you explain how it is solved?). If you are asking a teacher, use the formal form: Disculpe, ¿me puede explicar este problema? (Excuse me, can you explain this problem to me?). In some regions, people also use ¿Me regalas una explicación? (literally 'Can you gift me an explanation?') in casual speech, but the standard forms above are widely understood.
Listen to each line, then take one part and reply out loud.
Oye, no entiendo este problema de química. ¿Me puedes explicar cómo se resuelve?
Hey, I don't understand this chemistry problem. Can you explain to me how it is solved?OH-yeh, noh ehn-TYEHN-doh EHS-teh proh-BLEH-mah deh KEE-mee-kah. meh PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR KOH-moh seh reh-SWEHL-vehClaro. Primero tienes que balancear la ecuación. ¿Ves los átomos de cada lado?
Sure. First you have to balance the equation. Do you see the atoms on each side?KLAH-roh. pree-MEH-roh TYEH-nehs keh bah-lahn-SEH-ar lah eh-kwah-SYOHN. vehs lohs AH-toh-mohs deh KAH-dah LAH-dohSí, pero no entiendo por qué cambian los números. ¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?
Yes, but I don't understand why the numbers change. Can you explain it to me again?see, PEH-roh noh ehn-TYEHN-doh pohr keh KAHM-byahn lohs noo-MEH-rohs. meh loh PWEH-dehs eks-plee-KAR OH-trah vehsMira, cada átomo debe estar igual en los dos lados. Por eso ajustamos los coeficientes. ¿Ahora sí?
Look, each atom must be equal on both sides. That's why we adjust the coefficients. Now do you get it?MEE-rah, KAH-dah AH-toh-moh DEH-beh ehs-TAR ee-GWAHL ehn lohs dohs LAH-dohs. pohr EH-soh ah-hoos-TAH-mohs lohs koh-eh-fee-SYEHN-tehs. ah-OH-rah seeA little context goes a long way
In many Latin American classrooms, asking a teacher for an explanation during class is normal, but it is polite to begin with Disculpe (Excuse me) or Profe/Profesor(a). Among classmates, tú is standard; with a teacher you do not know well, use usted. In some regions, ¿Me regalas una explicación? is a friendly way to ask, but it is not formal. Avoid using ¿Puedes explicarme? with a stranger in a very formal setting; use ¿Me podría explicar...? (Could you explain... to me?) instead.
One thing to watch for
Using ¿Puedes explicarme? with a teacher you address as usted, or forgetting the pronoun me and saying ¿Puedes explicar este problema? when you mean 'to me'.
Try this instead: Match the form to the relationship: ¿Me puedes explicar...? (tú) or ¿Me puede explicar...? (usted). Include me to mean 'to me': ¿Me puede explicar este problema? Without me, the question asks if the person can explain in general, not to you.
Your turn
Try answering out loud before checking a possible answer.
1How do you ask a classmate to explain a history question to you, using tú?
Show a sample answer
¿Me puedes explicar esta pregunta de historia?
This uses the tú form puedes, the pronoun me, and names the subject with de historia. You could also say ¿Me puedes explicar esta duda de historia? Both are correct.
2You are asking a teacher you address with usted. Change ¿Me puedes explicar este problema? to the formal form.
Show a sample answer
¿Me puede explicar este problema?
With usted, use puede instead of puedes. The pronoun me stays the same. This is the polite form for a teacher or someone older.
3You understood the first explanation but need to hear it again. What phrase do you use?
Show a sample answer
¿Me lo puedes explicar otra vez?
This asks for the explanation again. The pronoun lo refers to the problem already mentioned. You could also say ¿Me lo puedes repetir? (Can you repeat it to me?), which is also correct.
To ask for academic help in Spanish, use ¿Me puedes explicar...? with a classmate or ¿Me puede explicar...? with a teacher, name the subject with de + subject, and add otra vez if you need to hear it again.
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