Esporre

Esporre is an Italian verb meaning to expose, to present or set forth something, and to display or exhibit. It can also mean to subject someone or something to a condition, influence, or risk. The term is used in both literal senses (to expose someone to cold, to sun) and figurative senses (to present an argument, to lay out a plan).

Etymology and meaning

Esponere derives from Latin exponere, formed by ex- “out” and ponere “to place.” In Italian, esporre is a transitive verb that typically takes a direct object, such as esporre un’ipotesi, esporre una tesi, or esporre opere d’arte. It can also be followed by a prepositional phrase to indicate exposure to a risk or condition (esporre qualcuno a un pericolo).

Usage

Common uses include: esporre un argomento, esporre dati, esporre idee in una trattazione; esporre opere in una mostra; esporre qualcosa al pubblico. The verb can be used in formal and academic contexts as well as in everyday language. Passive or reflexive forms are less frequent but possible with constructions like esposizione/essere esposto in participial phrases.

Conjugation (selected forms)

- Present: io espongo, tu esponi, lui/lei espone, noi esponiamo, voi esponete, loro espongono.

- Imperfect: espongevo, esponvevi, esposeva, esponavamo, esponavate, esposevano.

- Future: esporrò, esporrai, esporrà, esporremo, esporrete, esporranno.

- Past tenses: ho esposto, hai esposto, ha esposto, abbiamo esposto, avete esposto, hanno esposto.

- Participle: esposto; Gerund: esponendo.

See also

Related terms include esposizione (exhibition, exposure) and esponenza (not as common; related lexical family).