Learn Hardcore Italian: Il museo espone l'arte moderna.

Espone is the third-person singular present tense of the verb esporre. Since il museo is singular and is the subject of the sentence, we need to match the conjugation by using espone.

Is museo masculine or feminine, and how do I know?

Museo is masculine, indicated by the -o ending and its article il. Most Italian nouns ending in -o are masculine and take the article il in the singular form.

Why is it l'arte instead of la arte?

Arte is feminine, and normally would have the article la. However, arte starts with a vowel, so it requires l' for phonetic reasons to make it flow more smoothly.

When should I use moderna vs. moderno?

Moderna is the feminine form, agreeing with arte (which is feminine). You’d use moderno when the noun is masculine (e.g., l’edificio moderno).

Can I put moderna before arte?

Yes, you could say Il museo espone la moderna arte, but it would sound unusual in everyday speech. Typically, in Italian, descriptive adjectives like moderna come after the noun.