How to Sign Explain

The short answer

In American Sign Language (ASL), EXPLAIN is commonly signed with both hands in an F handshape. Hold your palms facing each other in front of your chest and move your hands forward and back, alternating, a few times. Many signers use the same sign for DESCRIBE, and the surrounding sentence shows which meaning is intended.

Sign languages differ from country to country. British Sign Language, Auslan and other national sign languages have their own signs for this concept, so the description here applies only to ASL as used in the US. Signers within ASL also vary by region and community.

No source material was supplied for this guide. The description reflects the form commonly taught in ASL, but you should confirm it against a video from a reputable ASL dictionary or a Deaf instructor. Text cannot fully show rhythm, speed or fine hand detail.

How to form the sign, step by step

• 1. Make an F handshape with each hand. Touch the tip of your index finger to the tip of your thumb to form a small circle, and keep your middle, ring and little fingers extended and relaxed.
• 2. Raise both hands to the space in front of your chest. Turn your palms to face each other, with the finger circles pointing forward.
• 3. Move your hands forward and back in an alternating pattern, so one hand moves out as the other comes in. Repeat this with a few short movements.
• 4. Keep the motion compact and relaxed. It should come mainly from your forearms and wrists, not from large swings of your arms.
• 5. Match your facial expression to the sentence. For example, when asking someone whether they can explain something, ASL typically marks a yes/no question with raised eyebrows.

Signs are usually described by four parameters: handshape, palm orientation, location and movement. Facial expressions and other non-manual signals also carry grammar. If any one of these is off, the sign may become unclear or look like a different sign. Check all of them when you compare your version with a reference.

Common slips include:

• Closing all the fingers into an O shape instead of keeping three fingers extended in an F.
• Moving both hands forward and back together instead of alternating.
• Turning the palms down instead of toward each other.
• Making the movement large or holding the hands far from the body.

To check yourself, record a short clip of yourself signing EXPLAIN. Watch it next to a trusted reference video and compare the handshape, palm direction, hand position and alternating rhythm. Feedback from a fluent signer is the most reliable confirmation.

Making the sign readable on a webcam or video call

When you sign over video, the camera has to capture both your hands and your face clearly. These adjustments usually help:

• Framing: Position the camera so the image shows you from the top of your head to roughly your waist, with some space on each side. Your hands should stay in frame throughout the movement.
• Lighting: Light your face and hands from the front. A bright window or lamp behind you can turn your hands into silhouettes.
• Physical background: A plain wall that contrasts with your skin tone and clothing makes hand shapes easier to see. Solid-colored clothing also works better than busy patterns.
• Virtual backgrounds and blur: These effects use software to separate you from your surroundings. The software can sometimes smear, cut off or hide moving hands, so test any effect before relying on it, or switch it off.
• Motion blur: Dim lighting can make quick movements look smeared on many webcams, so improving the light is often the first fix to try.

To test your setup, record a short clip in the same app, with the same camera and lighting you plan to use, and play it back. If your fingers stay sharp and inside the frame, your local setup is working. This check does not show how you will look to the other person during a live call. Network conditions and the app's video compression can still blur fast movement. For that, do a test call and ask the other person whether the signs are clear.

Many video apps show your self-view as a mirror image, while other participants typically see the unmirrored image. This behavior varies by app, so check your app's video settings for a mirror option. EXPLAIN is symmetrical, so mirroring changes little for this sign, but a mirrored preview can make your own fingerspelling look reversed to you.

Limits to keep in mind

A single sign is a useful start, but it is not the same as fluency. In real conversation, meaning depends on sentence structure, facial grammar and context. For important exchanges with a Deaf person, such as medical, legal or workplace matters, a qualified ASL interpreter is the appropriate choice rather than a few learned signs.