Montrer Examples, Sentences & Quiz in French

montrer — to show — is one of the verbs you will use every day in French. It is a non-reflexive, regular -er verb, and it comes up in conversation, at work and at home. On this page you will find montrer in real sentences, grouped by meaning and tense, two short texts that show it in context, the mistakes learners actually make with it, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. Start with the examples, say them aloud, and then test yourself. The full conjugation tables are on the montrer conjugation page, and the deep dive into its most practised tense is on the montrer present tense page.

Example sentences with montrer

In the present tense

  • “Je montre le livre tous les jours.” — “I show the book every day.”
  • “Tu montres le livre à la maison.” — “You show the book at home.”
  • “Il montre le livre ce matin.” — “He shows the book this morning.”
  • “Nous montrons le livre avec Paul.” — “We show the book with Paul.”
  • “Vous montrez le livre.” — “You show the book.”
  • “Ils montrent le livre tous les jours.” — “They show the book every day.”

In the passé composé

  • “J'ai montré le livre hier.” — “I have shown the book yesterday.”
  • “Tu as montré le livre la semaine dernière.” — “You have shown the book last week.”
  • “Il a montré le livre ce matin.” — “He has shown the book this morning.”
  • “Nous avons montré le livre avant la fête.” — “We have shown the book before the party.”
  • “Vous avez montré le livre.” — “You have shown the book.”
  • “Ils ont montré le livre hier.” — “They have shown the book yesterday.”

In other tenses

The same verb in the imperfect, the future, the conditional, the present subjunctive and the imperative — the tenses that complete the picture. All forms come from the verified tables.

  • “Je montrais le livre à la maison.” — “I used to show the book at home.”
  • “Tu montreras le livre bientôt.” — “You will show the book soon.”
  • “Il montrerait le livre avec Paul.” — “He would show the book with Paul.”
  • “Il est important que nous montrions le livre tous les jours.” — “It is important that We show the book every day.”
  • “Montre le livre !” — “Show the book!”

Montrer in context

Je montre le livre tous les jours. Tu montres le livre à la maison. Il montre le livre ce matin. Nous montrons le livre avec Paul. C’est une partie normale de la routine, et c’est pour cela que le présent de montrer est la première forme qu’il convient d’apprendre. Chaque phrase utilise une personne différente, alors lisez-les à voix haute et remarquez comment la forme change — montre, montres, montre, montrons — tandis que le sens reste le même : to show. J'ai montré le livre hier. Tu as montré le livre la semaine dernière. Il a montré le livre ce matin. Nous avons montré le livre avant la fête. C’était une journée normale, mais c’est justement dans des journées comme celle-ci que le passé composé de montrer apparaît sans cesse : une action terminée, un moment précis, et l’histoire continue. Comparez ces phrases avec celles du présent ci-dessus : le verbe change de temps, mais le sens de base — to show — ne change pas. C’est la différence entre une habitude et un événement terminé.

Common mistakes

1. Using the infinitive instead of a conjugated form

✗ Wrong: “Je montrer le livre.”

✓ Right: “Je montre le livre tous les jours.”

The infinitive montrer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated present form montre.

2. Using the wrong person

✗ Wrong: “Je montres le livre.”

✓ Right: “Je montre le livre tous les jours.”

montres is the tu form, not the je form. The je form is montre — check the person before you write the form.

3. Using the present for a finished past action

✗ Wrong: “Je montre le livre hier.”

✓ Right: “J'ai montré le livre hier.”

Hier points to the past, so use the present perfect ai montré here, not the present montre.

4. Mixing up the stem in the stressed forms

✗ Wrong: “Je montrons le livre.”

✓ Right: “Je montre le livre tous les jours.”

montrons is the nous form. The je form is montre — the two persons never share a form in the present of montrer.

Quiz: test yourself

Ten questions on montrer across the tenses. Answers with explanations follow each question.

  1. What is the tu form of montrer in the Present indicative?

    • A) montre
    • B) montres
    • C) montrais
    • D) aurais montré

  2. What is the je form of montrer in the Present perfect (passé composé)?

    • A) as montré
    • B) ai montré
    • C) avez montré
    • D) a montré

  3. What is the il/elle form of montrer in the Imperfect?

    • A) montrais
    • B) montrera
    • C) montrerait
    • D) montrait

  4. What is the nous form of montrer in the Future?

    • A) montrerions
    • B) montrerons
    • C) aurions montré
    • D) montrâmes

  5. What is the tu form of montrer in the Conditional?

    • A) aurais montré
    • B) montreras
    • C) montrerais
    • D) montrerions

  6. What is the je form of montrer in the Passé simple?

    • A) montrâtes
    • B) montrerais
    • C) aurai montré
    • D) montrai

  7. What is the nous form of montrer in the Present subjunctive?

    • A) montre
    • B) avions montré
    • C) aurons montré
    • D) montrions

  8. What is the gerund of montrer?

    • A) avouant
    • B) considérant
    • C) en montrant
    • D) commentant

  9. What is the past participle of montrer?

    • A) montré
    • B) considéré
    • C) allumé
    • D) admis

  10. What does montrer mean in English?

  • A) draw
  • B) compare
  • C) show
  • D) consult

Answer key

  1. B) montres — the tu form of montrer in the present indicative is montres. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. B) ai montré — the je form of montrer in the present perfect (passé composé) is ai montré. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  3. D) montrait — the il/elle form of montrer in the imperfect is montrait. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) montrerons — the nous form of montrer in the future is montrerons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. C) montrerais — the tu form of montrer in the conditional is montrerais. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. D) montrai — the je form of montrer in the passé simple is montrai. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. D) montrions — the nous form of montrer in the present subjunctive is montrions. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) en montrant — the gerund of montrer is en montrant; it is used with en for actions happening at the same time as the main verb. The other options are the present participles of neighbouring verbs.
  9. A) montré — the past participle of montrer is montré; perfect tenses use avoir + montré. The other options are the participles of neighbouring verbs.
  10. C) show — montrer means “to show” in English. The other options are the meanings of neighbouring verbs.

Frequently asked questions

What does montrer mean in English?

montrer means “to show”. You use it whenever you talk about to show in French, in the present, the past and the future.

Is montrer regular or irregular?

montrer is regular. montrer is regular: every form follows the standard -er endings, so once you know the pattern you can build every tense from the stem. There are no surprises in any tense — the tables below are exactly what the endings predict.

What are the gerund and past participle of montrer?

The gerund is en montrant and the past participle is montré. The perfect tenses use avoir + montré.

Where can I see the full conjugation of montrer?

On the montrer conjugation page — every tense, every person, with tables. The montrer present tense page goes deeper into its most practised tense.

Pronunciation

Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for montrer, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.

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