expliciter, clarifier, pre'ciser

[alan gould]

am i right that  "pre'ciser" is most commonly used?  i only saw the other 2 recently.  Tx  

[Chantal Savignat]

yes préciser is the most commonly used.

these three words are closed but have not exactly the same meaning.

"préciser" = i am saying something and you want to know precisions or détails (maybe because you don't understand but not necessarily). so i give you some precisions. Je précise.

"clarifier" means i am saying something and it's not clear. So I can explain differently, i can give precisions or more details. Je clarifie.

"expliciter" means i am saying something and a part of what I want to say is implied. But it's not really clear. And you don't understand.  So I am going to say exactly what i want to say with words. J'explicite. 

there are some expressions.

for exemple : "clarifier sa pensée".

[alan gould]

these parallel the english usage, but i'll point out that "preciser" takes a different form in english.  "preciser" would b "specify."  can u specify which one u want?  u don't need to go into the specifics (or details).  i need u to b more specific.  u didn't follow my specifications.  i specifically told u not to do that.      

"precisions" is not used.  there are precision instruments which are admired for their precision.  that's precisely what i intend to do (exactly is more common.  precisely a bit too formal).  can u b more precise? 

explicit is used as an adj.         

[Chantal Savignat]

so my sentence

"préciser" = i am saying something and you want to know precisions

=> "préciser" = i am saying something and you want to know specifics.

[alan gould]

specify is the verb equivalent of preciser.  precise doesn't exist as a verb.  and yes, u want to know the specifics, not the precisions.  the latter exists as a noun but only w/o the "s" and it wouldn't b used to mean details.  if u are a judge of synchronized swimmers, u are looking for precision.  german precision instruments are admired for their precision.