Learn Hardcore Greek: Στο μουσείο βλέπουμε μια μεγάλη έκθεση με έργα ενός νέου ζωγράφου από την Ελλάδα. - At the museum we see a large exhibition with works by a young painter from Greece.

σε + το μουσείο → στο μουσείο = at the museum / to the museum
Greek very often contracts σε + definite article:
- σε + τον → στον
- σε + την → στη(ν)
- σε + το → στο

You use the article το with μουσείο because Greek normally uses definite articles with general places (the museum, the hospital, the office), even where English might drop the. So στο μουσείο is the natural way to say at the museum in Greek.

Is the word order fixed? Could I also say Βλέπουμε στο μουσείο μια μεγάλη έκθεση… or Βλέπουμε μια μεγάλη έκθεση στο μουσείο…?

Yes, you can change the word order; Greek is more flexible than English. All of these are grammatically correct:

Στο μουσείο βλέπουμε μια μεγάλη έκθεση…
Βλέπουμε στο μουσείο μια μεγάλη έκθεση…
Βλέπουμε μια μεγάλη έκθεση στο μουσείο…

The differences are mainly in emphasis:

Starting with Στο μουσείο puts focus on where this is happening.
Starting with Βλέπουμε feels more neutral: We see at the museum a big exhibition…
Ending with στο μουσείο can emphasize the place a bit more: We see a big exhibition at the museum (not elsewhere).

For a beginner, your original sentence is very natural and common.

What exactly does βλέπουμε mean here? Is it “we see” or “we are seeing / we are looking at”?

Βλέπουμε is the 1st person plural present tense of βλέπω (to see).

Greek doesn’t distinguish between simple present (we see) and present progressive (we are seeing). Βλέπουμε can cover both:

Right now at the museum, we are seeing / looking at a big exhibition…
Or more generally: When we go to the museum, we see a big exhibition… (depending on context)

If you wanted to stress actively looking, you could also hear κοιτάμε / κοιτάζουμε (we look at), but βλέπουμε is perfectly natural for “we are seeing / visiting” an exhibition.

What is the function of μια in μια μεγάλη έκθεση? Is it like English “a” or “one”?

Μια is the feminine form of the indefinite article, equivalent to a / an in English:

μια έκθεση = an exhibition

It can also, in some contexts and with the spelling μία, mean one, but in everyday writing μια and μία are often used interchangeably, and in speech they sound the same in most dialects.

Here, μια clearly means a/an, not the number one.

Also note:

Masculine: ένας (ένας φίλος = a friend)
Feminine: μια / μία (μια έκθεση = an exhibition)
Neuter: ένα (ένα μουσείο = a museum)

Why is μεγάλη before έκθεση? Can I say έκθεση μεγάλη instead?

The usual order in Greek is adjective + noun, like in English:

μεγάλη έκθεση = big / large exhibition

Μεγάλη agrees with έκθεση in:

gender: feminine
number: singular
case: accusative

You can place the adjective after the noun (έκθεση μεγάλη), but this often sounds more marked or poetic, or it adds a specific nuance. In everyday, neutral speech, μεγάλη έκθεση is by far the most common and natural order here.

Does έκθεση only mean “exhibition”, or does it have other meanings too?

Έκθεση has several meanings; the sentence clearly uses the meaning exhibition:

έκθεση (τέχνης) = art exhibition
έκθεση (school context) = an essay / composition
έκθεση (official context) = a report (e.g. οικονομική έκθεση = financial report)
It can also mean “exposure” in some contexts (e.g. έκθεση στον ήλιο = exposure to the sun)

In your sentence, μια μεγάλη έκθεση με έργα ενός νέου ζωγράφου clearly points to an art exhibition.

What does με mean in με έργα? Why is it με and not something like από έργα?

In με έργα, με means with, in the sense of containing / including:

μια μεγάλη έκθεση με έργα ενός νέου ζωγράφου
= a large exhibition with works by a young painter

So με here describes what the exhibition consists of or includes.

If you said έκθεση από έργα, it would be understandable but unusual; από here would sound more like “made of” (material) or sometimes “from”, which doesn’t fit as naturally. Με έργα is the standard, idiomatic way to say an exhibition with works….

What exactly are έργα here? Is it the plural of έργο, and does it specifically mean works of art?

Yes, έργα is the plural of έργο (neuter noun).

το έργο → τα έργα

Έργο is a very general word meaning work (a produced work), and in context it can mean:

έργα τέχνης = works of art
θεατρικό έργο = play (theatrical work)
λογοτεχνικό έργο = literary work
δημόσια έργα = public works (construction)

In your sentence, at a museum exhibition by a painter, έργα clearly means artworks / paintings / pieces by that painter.

Why do we say ενός νέου ζωγράφου? What case is this, and how does the grammar work?

Ενός νέου ζωγράφου is in the genitive case, used here to show possession or authorship: works of a young painter.

Breakdown:

ένας (a, one – masculine nominative)
→ ενός (genitive)
νέος (young – masculine nominative)
→ νέου (genitive)
ζωγράφος (painter – masculine noun)
→ ζωγράφου (genitive)

So:

έργα ενός νέου ζωγράφου = works of a young painter

The article, adjective, and noun all agree in gender (masculine), number (singular), and case (genitive).

Does νέος here mean “young” or “new”? How is it different from καινούριος?

Νέος can mean both young (for people) and new (more generally), depending on context.

In ενός νέου ζωγράφου it clearly means young:

νέος άνθρωπος = young person
νέος ζωγράφος = young painter

Καινούριος usually means new in the sense of brand new / not used before:

καινούριο αυτοκίνητο = a brand new car
καινούριο βιβλίο = a new (recently bought) book

You wouldn’t normally say καινούριος ζωγράφος to mean “young painter”; that would sound more like “new (to the scene) painter”, and even then νέος ζωγράφος is the standard way to say young painter.

Why do we say από την Ελλάδα with την? In English we just say “from Greece”, without “the”.

In Greek, almost all country names take a definite article. Ελλάδα is feminine, so:

η Ελλάδα = Greece
από την Ελλάδα = from (the) Greece → from Greece

The preposition από (from) is followed by the accusative, so you get:

από + την Ελλάδα → από την Ελλάδα

English normally omits the article with country names; Greek does not. So things like:

στην Ελλάδα = in Greece
της Ελλάδας = of Greece

are completely normal and required in Greek.

Could you also say έργα ενός Έλληνα ζωγράφου instead of από την Ελλάδα? Is there a difference?

Yes, you could say:

έργα ενός Έλληνα ζωγράφου = works of a Greek painter
έργα ενός ζωγράφου από την Ελλάδα = works of a painter from Greece

Both are correct, but there is a small nuance:

Έλληνα ζωγράφου focuses on nationality: a Greek painter.
ζωγράφου από την Ελλάδα stresses origin/place: a painter from Greece (which usually implies he is Greek, but could, in theory, be someone living/working there).

In most contexts, they would be understood the same, but grammatically they’re slightly different ways of expressing similar information.