Skip to content

erläutern

to explain

verb er-LOY-tern Less Common

Origin: from 'lauter' (clear, pure)

Also means

to elucidate

Usage Note

erläutern means to explain or clarify something in detail: einen Sachverhalt erläutern. It is slightly more formal than erklären and stresses making something clearer point by point. The noun Erläuterung names an explanatory note or annotation.

Examples

"Können Sie diesen Punkt näher erläutern?"

Natural Translation

Can you explain this point in more detail?

Literal Translation

Can you this point closer explain?

Explore German by topic