1
Could you explain me why you arrived late?
Could you explain to me why you arrived late?
Use explain something to someone, not explain someone something: ‘She explained the situation to her family.’
2
He explained to us a terrible story.
He told us a terrible story.
Use tell someone a story, not explain someone a story.
3
The book explains the life of a woman who travelled around the world.
The book describes the life of a woman who travelled around the world.
Use describe to say what someone or something is like. Use explain to make something clear or give its reasons: ‘Can you explain his strange behaviour?’ ‘The teacher explained the rules of the game.’
We can also use explain before words such as how, why and what: ‘He explained how the machine works.’ ‘Could you explain why you are late?’