Exponer Examples, Sentences and Quiz
Exponer means “to expose, to exhibit”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Exponer means to expose or to exhibit, and it covers exhibiting paintings, exposing a problem and exposing your skin to the sun. It follows the pattern of poner, with the present expongo, the preterite expuse and the irregular participle expuesto. This page shows exponer in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” — I expose his pictures in the gallery.
Exponer in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how exponer is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use exponer in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” — I expose his pictures in the gallery.
“¿Tú expones el problema en la reunión?” — Do you expose the problem in the meeting?
“Expone la piel al sol.” — He/she exposes my skin to the sun.
“Exponemos sus ideas con claridad.” — We expose his ideas clearly.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show exponer in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.” — Yesterday, I exposed his pictures in the gallery. (preterite)
“Él exponía el problema en la reunión todos los días.” — He used to expose the problem in the meeting every day. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of exponer stays the same.
“Nosotros expondremos la piel al sol mañana.” — We will expose my skin to the sun tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has expuesto sus ideas con claridad?” — Have you exposed his ideas clearly? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Exponéis sus cuadros en la galería.” — You expose his pictures in the gallery.
“Exponen el problema en la reunión.” — They expose the problem in the meeting.
“Expongo la piel al sol.” — I expose my skin to the sun.
“Expone sus ideas con claridad.” — He/she exposes his ideas clearly.
Exponer in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how exponer appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Lucía: “¿Tú expones sus cuadros en la galería?” — Do you expose his pictures in the gallery?
Carlos: “Sí, yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” — Yes, I expose his pictures in the gallery.
Lucía: “Nosotros exponemos el problema en la reunión.” — We expose the problem in the meeting.
Carlos: “Y ellos exponen la piel al sol.” — And they expose my skin to the sun.
Lucía: “Vosotros exponéis sus ideas con claridad.” — You expose his ideas clearly.
Carlos: “Sí, y él expone el problema en la reunión.” — Yes, and he exposes the problem in the meeting.
A short paragraph
Lucía expone sus cuadros en la galería, y Carlos expone el problema en la reunión. Nosotros exponemos la piel al sol, y ellos exponen sus ideas con claridad. Yo expongo la piel al sol, y mi padre expone sus ideas con claridad. Exponer is part of everyday life, because to expose, to exhibit is something Spanish speakers do again and again, in every tense and every situation.
Common mistakes with exponer
These are the errors learners actually make with exponer. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo expone sus cuadros en la galería.” Right: “Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” Why: The person matters: expone is the él/ella/Ud. form, while the yo form is expongo. Using the third-person form with yo is one of the most common beginner errors.
Wrong: “Ayer yo exponí el problema en la reunión.” Right: “Ayer yo expuse el problema en la reunión.” Why: Exponer has an irregular preterite: the correct first-person form is expuse, not the regular exponí. Learn the preterite forms in the table as a set.
Wrong: “Treating exponer and mostrar as identical in every context.” Right: “Exponer means to expose, to exhibit, while mostrar means to show.” Why: They overlap, but each has uses the other does not: exponer fits sentences such as Expongo sus cuadros en la galería, while mostrar belongs in a different sentence. Check the meaning you want before choosing.
Wrong: “Yo soy expuesto el problema en la reunión.” Right: “Yo he expuesto el problema en la reunión.” Why: Spanish perfect tenses use haber, not ser: he expuesto, has expuesto, ha expuesto. Ser plus the participle makes a passive, not a perfect tense.
Wrong: “De niño, yo expuse la piel al sol todos los días.” Right: “De niño, yo exponía la piel al sol todos los días.” Why: For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect (exponía), not the preterite. The preterite (expuse) is for one finished action.
Quiz: exponer in use
Ten questions on exponer in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ sus cuadros en la galería.” (His pictures in the gallery.)
- (a) exponéis
- (b) expongo
- (c) expones
Answer: exponéis — The vosotros/as form of exponer in the present is exponéis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el problema en la reunión.” (The problem in the meeting.)
- (a) expongo
- (b) expones
- (c) exponen
Answer: exponen — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of exponer in the present is exponen.
3. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ sus cuadros en la galería.” (His pictures in the gallery.)
- (a) expuso
- (b) expuse
- (c) expusiste
Answer: expuse — The yo form of exponer in the preterite is expuse.
4. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ el problema en la reunión.” (The problem in the meeting.)
- (a) exponía
- (b) exponías
- (c) exponíamos
Answer: exponía — The él/ella/Ud. form of exponer in the imperfect is exponía.
5. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ la piel al sol.” (My skin to the sun.)
- (a) expondré
- (b) expondrás
- (c) expondremos
Answer: expondremos — The nosotros/as form of exponer in the future is expondremos.
6. What does exponer mean in English?
- (a) to arrange, to have available
- (b) to expose, to exhibit
- (c) to show
Answer: to expose, to exhibit — Exponer means “to expose, to exhibit”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.
- (b) Ellos expone sus cuadros en la galería.
- (c) Yo expongo el problema en la reunión ayer.
Answer: Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería. — “Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I expose his pictures in the gallery.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo exponen sus cuadros en la galería.
- (b) Yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.
- (c) Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.
Answer: Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería. — “Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” is the correct translation. The second option uses the wrong person's form, and the third uses the preterite.
9. What is the nosotros form of exponer in the present tense?
- (a) expones
- (b) exponemos
- (c) expongo
Answer: exponemos — The nosotros form is exponemos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.
- (b) Nosotros expondremos sus cuadros en la galería mañana.
- (c) Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.
Answer: Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería. — “Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say 'I expose' in Spanish?
Say 'Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería'. The complement follows directly, as in the examples above. For a routine, add a time expression: 'Yo expongo sus cuadros en la galería todos los días'.
How do you say 'I expose' in the past?
For one finished action, say 'Ayer, yo expuse el problema en la reunión'. For a repeated habit, say 'Yo exponía el problema en la reunión todos los días'. For something already done, say 'Yo he expuesto el problema en la reunión'.
What is the difference between exponer and mostrar?
Exponer means to expose, to exhibit, while mostrar means to show. They are easy to confuse because they appear in similar situations, but they are not interchangeable: use exponer when you mean to expose, to exhibit, as in Expongo sus cuadros en la galería.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of exponer — every tense of exponer in one place.
- Exponer in the preterite tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on exponer and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of exponer until they are automatic.