Exponer in the Preterite Tense
Exponer means “to expose, to exhibit”, and this page covers exactly one thing: exponer in the preterite tense. The preterite is the tense Spanish speakers reach for when they talk about what is finished and done. On this page you will find the full preterite table for exponer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the imperfect, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about exponer in the preterite. For example: “Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.” — Yesterday, I exposed his pictures in the gallery. Everything on this page uses the forms of exponer exactly as they are conjugated in the preterite, so you can trust every form you see here.
Exponer in the Preterite Tense — full table
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| yo | expuse |
| tú | expusiste |
| él/ella/Ud. | expuso |
| nosotros/as | expusimos |
| vosotros/as | expusisteis |
| ellos/ellas/Uds. | expusieron |
Gerund: exponiendo · Past participle: expuesto
The gerund is exponiendo, which you use with estar to say what is happening right now: “Estoy exponiendo” means the action of exponer is in progress at this very moment. The past participle is expuesto, which you use with haber in the perfect tenses: “he expuesto” is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the preterite is only one part of how exponer is used.
How the preterite of exponer is formed
Exponer does not use one regular stem in this tense, so the forms below do not follow the simple stem + endings pattern. This tense is irregular for this verb: it follows the pattern of poner, with a -g- in the present (as in compongo), a -s- stem in the preterite (as in compuse), and an irregular participle (as in compuesto). Learn the forms in the table rather than guessing them from the infinitive. Learn the six forms as a set: yo expuse, tú expusiste, él/ella/Ud. expuso, nosotros/as expusimos, vosotros/as expusisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. expusieron.
The irregularity of exponer is in its past participle, expuesto, not in the preterite, so the table above is the whole story for this tense. Remember the participle for the perfect tenses: he expuesto, has expuesto, ha expuesto.
When to use the preterite of exponer
The preterite is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use exponer in the preterite most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.
1. One finished action
The preterite reports a single action that started and finished in the past. The action is done, counted once, and the story moves on. Example: “Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.” — Yesterday, I exposed his pictures in the gallery.
2. A sequence of events
In a story, each preterite form is one step forward in time. When several things happened one after another, the preterite lists them in order. Example: “Nosotros expusimos el problema en la reunión.” — We exposed the problem in the meeting.
3. A specific time marker
Time words such as ayer, anoche, el año pasado and la semana pasada point to the preterite. They name a finished moment, and the verb must match. Example: “Él expuso la piel al sol ayer.” — He exposed my skin to the sun yesterday.
4. A sudden change or interruption
The preterite describes sudden changes and interruptions: something happened, and the situation was different afterwards. Example: “Ellos expusieron sus ideas con claridad de repente.” — They exposed his ideas clearly suddenly.
5. A completed time frame
When an action took place inside a period of time that is now over, the preterite is the right tense, because the period itself is finished. Example: “Tú expusiste sus cuadros en la galería la semana pasada.” — You exposed his pictures in the gallery last week.
Preterite Tense vs Imperfect: how to choose
The closest tense to the preterite is the imperfect, and choosing between them is one of the hardest decisions in Spanish. The rule is simple: the preterite reports one finished action, while the imperfect describes background, habits in the past, or an action that was in progress when something else happened. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is whether the action is finished and counted, or ongoing and descriptive. Time words help: ayer and de repente point to the preterite, while mientras and todos los días in the past point to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.” — Yesterday, I exposed his pictures in the gallery.
Imperfect: “Yo exponía sus cuadros en la galería cada día.” — I used to expose his pictures in the gallery every day.
The preterite sentence reports one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes a habit in the past. Ayer points to the preterite, cada día in the past points to the imperfect.
Preterite Tense: “Anoche, él expuso el problema en la reunión.” — Last night, he exposed the problem in the meeting.
Imperfect: “Él exponía el problema en la reunión todos los días.” — He used to expose the problem in the meeting every day.
Anoche names one finished night, so the preterite is right; todos los días in the past describes a routine, so the imperfect is right.
Preterite Tense: “Nosotros expusimos la piel al sol ayer.” — We exposed my skin to the sun yesterday.
Imperfect: “Nosotros exponíamos la piel al sol cuando éramos jóvenes.” — We used to expose my skin to the sun when we were young.
The preterite sentence counts one finished action; the imperfect sentence describes how things used to be. That difference — finished event versus background — is the whole decision.
Example sentences: exponer in the preterite
Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions, the objects, the other verbs — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.
“Expuse sus cuadros en la galería.” — I exposed his pictures in the gallery.
“Expusiste el problema en la reunión.” — You exposed the problem in the meeting.
“Expuso la piel al sol.” — He/she exposed my skin to the sun.
“Expusimos sus ideas con claridad.” — We exposed his ideas clearly.
“Expusisteis sus cuadros en la galería.” — You exposed his pictures in the gallery.
“Expusieron el problema en la reunión.” — They exposed the problem in the meeting.
“Expuse la piel al sol.” — I exposed my skin to the sun.
“Expuso sus ideas con claridad.” — He/she exposed his ideas clearly.
Common mistakes with exponer in the preterite
These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Ellos expuso sus cuadros en la galería.” Right: “Ellos expusieron sus cuadros en la galería.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form expusieron. The singular expuso belongs with él, ella or a singular noun.
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.
Wrong: “Nosotros expusiste la piel al sol.” Right: “Nosotros expusimos la piel al sol.” Why: Nosotros needs expusimos. The tú form expusiste belongs with tú.
Wrong: “Ellos expuse sus ideas con claridad.” Right: “Ellos expusieron sus ideas con claridad.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form expusieron, not the yo form expuse.
Quiz: exponer in the preterite
Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.
1. Complete the sentence: “Yo ______ sus cuadros en la galería.” (His pictures in the gallery.)
- (a) expuse
- (b) expusiste
- (c) expuso
Answer: expuse — The yo form of exponer in the preterite is expuse. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
2. Complete the sentence: “¿Tú ______ el problema en la reunión?” (The problem in the meeting.)
- (a) expuse
- (b) expuso
- (c) expusiste
Answer: expusiste — The tú form of exponer in the preterite is expusiste. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
3. Complete the sentence: “Él ______ la piel al sol.” (My skin to the sun.)
- (a) expusiste
- (b) expuso
- (c) expuse
Answer: expuso — The él/ella/Ud. form of exponer in the preterite is expuso. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
4. Complete the sentence: “Nosotros ______ sus ideas con claridad.” (His ideas clearly.)
- (a) expusimos
- (b) expuse
- (c) expusiste
Answer: expusimos — The nosotros/as form of exponer in the preterite is expusimos. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
5. What is the vosotros/as form of exponer in the preterite?
- (a) expuse
- (b) expusiste
- (c) expusisteis
Answer: expusisteis — From the table above: vosotros/as takes expusisteis. Say it with the example sentence “Vosotros expusisteis sus cuadros en la galería.” to fix it in your memory.
6. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ el problema en la reunión.” (The problem in the meeting.)
- (a) expusiste
- (b) expusieron
- (c) expuse
Answer: expusieron — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of exponer in the preterite is expusieron. The other options are the forms for different persons, so they do not agree with the subject.
7. Which is the correct yo form of exponer in the preterite?
- (a) expuse
- (b) expusiste
- (c) expuso
Answer: expuse — The yo form is expuse. The other two options are the forms for other persons.
8. Which sentence describes one finished action in the past?
- (a) Yo exponía sus cuadros en la galería cada día.
- (b) Mañana, yo expondré sus cuadros en la galería.
- (c) Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.
Answer: Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería. — “Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería.” reports a single completed event, so it takes the preterite. The second option describes background or a past habit, and the third looks to the future.
Frequently asked questions
Is exponer regular in the preterite?
No. Exponer has an irregular preterite: expuse, expusiste, expuso, expusimos, expusisteis, expusieron. Learn these forms as a set rather than deriving them from the infinitive.
What is the past participle of exponer?
The past participle is expuesto: 'He expuesto' means 'I have exposed'. It is used with haber in every perfect tense. The gerund is exponiendo.
When do I use the preterite instead of the imperfect for exponer?
Use the preterite for one finished action, as in Ayer, yo expuse sus cuadros en la galería. Use the imperfect for a repeated habit or background, as in Yo exponía sus cuadros en la galería cada día. The time words around the verb usually tell you which one fits.
How do I remember the preterite forms of exponer?
Say the six forms out loud in order, three times, with a real sentence for each one: yo expuse, tú expusiste, él/ella/Ud. expuso, nosotros/as expusimos, vosotros/as expusisteis, ellos/ellas/Uds. expusieron. Then write three of your own sentences with exponer in the preterite, using the examples on this page as models.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of exponer — every tense of exponer in one place.
- Exponer examples and quiz — more sentences with exponer and a ten-question quiz.
- Spanish preterite guide — how the preterite works for all Spanish verbs.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Preterite conjugator — conjugate any verb in the preterite instantly.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on exponer and other verbs.