"Han må forklare seg."

Translation: He has to explain himself.

[AnIndoorKite]

is forklare always reflexive?

[Stigjohan]

No. For example: "Kan du forklare hvorfor himmelen er blå?"

[fveldig]

Edit: This is wrong.

But you can always turn it into a reflexive verb:

"Kan du forklare meg hvorfor himmelen er blå?"

[Stigjohan]

That's not reflexive, "meg" is an indirect object in your example, and the agent and beneficiary ("du" and "meg") are two different people.

[fveldig]

I stand corrected! I guess I should've thought before replying :)

[LaurentMontesi]

I translated as "He must make himself clear". I would think the meaning is the same, and you see klar (clear) in forklare.

[Louise_the_Lotus]

Sounds like "for clarity".

[mprdo]

Montessi and Burks: thanks for your observations. 10Jun17

[GregHolmes7]

Similarly in English:

"Luuuucy! You got some 'splainin' to do!"

[Hanseatisk]

Hun vil velge en ny mann, hun må forklare seg!

[SiobanSnyd]

Does the "forklare seg" have multiple meanings as it does in English?

That is, does it imply:

1. "He must be the one to do the explaining"?

2. "He has done something and must explain his actions"?

Or

1. Can it be either depending on context? ?