объяснять vs объяснить

obyasnyat vs obyasnit — explain repeatedly/in progress vs explain once

What it really means

Объясня́ть is imperfective and focuses on explaining as a process, a repeated teaching activity, or an unfinished explanation. Объясни́ть is perfective and presents one explanation as delivered and complete. The prefix об- is part of the lexical verb; aspect carries the main contrast.

Use объяснять when the listener is still trying to understand or when describing a teacher’s routine. Use объяснить for a request to give one clear explanation or a report that you explained the point.

Examples in natural speech

Учитель объясняет правило.
The teacher is explaining the rule.
Она хорошо объясняет грамматику.
She explains grammar well.
Объясни мне эту ошибку.
Explain this mistake to me.
Он объяснил всё спокойно.
He explained everything calmly.
Я не могу объяснить, почему это случилось.
I cannot explain why this happened.

Common mistakes

Do not treat объяснить as more polite or more forceful by itself. The aspect says whether one explanation is viewed as a completed communicative act; politeness comes from the wording, pronoun, and tone.

Memory tip

Объяснять keeps clarifying; объяснить gives the explanation once as a completed result.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between объяснять and объяснить?

Объяснять is imperfective for explaining as an ongoing, repeated, or unfinished process. Объяснить is perfective for one explanation viewed as complete.

How do you say explain it to me in Russian?

Use "Объясни мне это" for an informal singular request. The perfective imperative asks for one complete explanation.

Does объяснить mean make someone understand?

It means explain successfully or give an explanation, but it does not guarantee that the listener understood. Russian can use понять to describe the listener’s understanding.

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