exponer
verbCEFR B2High frequency
What does “exponer” mean in English?
1.to exhibit, to put on display
to exhibit, to put on display (arts and culture; exponer obras, exponer fotografías; la exposición = the exhibition)
2.to present, to set out
to present, to set out (exponer los resultados/argumentos — laying out content in an organised, detailed way; deeper than presentar)
Example sentences
El museo decidió exponer las obras de la colección permanente junto con piezas cedidas por museos internacionales.
The museum decided to exhibit the permanent collection's works alongside pieces on loan from international museums.
La fotógrafa ha expuesto en más de veinte países y sus imágenes han aparecido en publicaciones de todo el mundo.
The photographer has exhibited in more than twenty countries and her images have appeared in publications worldwide.
Antes de abrir la exposición al público, el equipo tardó tres semanas en colocar y etiquetar cada pieza.
Before opening the exhibition to the public, the team spent three weeks placing and labelling each piece.
How to use it
Exponer (en sentido cultural) means 'to exhibit' or 'to put on display'. At B2 it appears in arts and culture contexts: exponer obras, exponer fotografías, una colección expuesta. Note: exponer has multiple senses — also 'to explain/lay out' (exponer un argumento) and 'to expose/put at risk' (exponerse a un riesgo). Context distinguishes them. In cultural contexts, the exhibition sense dominates. The noun is la exposición (exhibition / explanation / risk exposure — all three senses share the noun). The agent who exhibits is el/la expositor/a.
Common mistake
Exponer is polysemous: exhibit / explain / expose. In cultural contexts (museum, gallery), the exhibition sense dominates. But exponer un argumento = to put forward an argument (not to exhibit it). And exponerse a = to expose oneself to risk. The shared noun exposición means all three things; always check context. The existing atom es:vocab:b2:exponer covers the argument-presentation sense.