Introduction

Montrer means “to show”, and this page covers exactly one thing: montrer in the present tense. The present is the tense French speakers reach for when they talk about what happens regularly, what is true in general, and what is happening right now. On this page you will find the full present table for montrer, how the tense is formed for this verb, the situations where it is used, how it differs from the passé composé, worked examples, the mistakes learners make most often, an eight-question quiz with explained answers, and answers to the questions students ask about montrer in the present. It is used every day in conversation, at work and at home. For example: “Il montre le livre tous les jours.” — “He shows the book every day.” Everything on this page uses the forms of montrer exactly as they are conjugated in the present, so you can trust every form you see here.

Montrer in the Present Tense — full table

Person Form
je montre
tu montres
il/elle montre
nous montrons
vous montrez
ils/elles montrent
Gerund: en montrant · Past participle: montré
The gerund is en montrant, which you use after en to say what is happening at the same time as the main action: “En montrant, je commence la journée.” — “While showwing, I start the day.” The past participle is montré, which you use with avoir in the perfect tenses: ai montré is the present perfect, used for a completed action. Keep both forms in mind as you read the examples below, because the present tense is only one part of how montrer is used.
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.

How the present tense of montrer is formed

The present tense of montrer has six forms: je montre, tu montres, il montre, nous montrons, vous montrez, ils montrent. Say them in order — je, tu, il, nous, vous, ils — and notice which forms share a stem and which do not. 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. The present is the tense you will use most, so learn these six forms before you learn any other tense of this verb. Two things about the present of montrer are worth noticing. First, the nous and vous forms are the anchor of the verb: the imperfect is built from the nous form, and the present subjunctive takes its nous and vous forms from the same stem, so learning montrons and montrez pays off in three tenses at once. Second, the present is the tense French uses where English would often use the continuous form, so montre can mean both “I show” and “I am showwing” — context tells the listener which one you mean. Because montrer is regular in the present, the six forms follow the standard -er endings exactly. Once you know the pattern for one regular -er verb, you know it for all of them — only the stem changes. That is why the present of a regular verb is the cheapest tense to learn in the whole language.

When to use the present of montrer

The present is not a single-purpose tense. Below are the five situations where you will use montrer in the present most often. Each one comes with a real example, so read the rule, then say the example out loud.

1. Habits and routines

The present tense is the tense of routine. When something happens every day, every week or every morning, the present is the natural choice, and montrer is no exception. Use time expressions such as tous les jours, toujours or chaque semaine to make the routine explicit. Example: “Je montre le livre à la maison.” — “I show the book at home.”

2. General truths

Use the present for things that are true in general, not just today. A fact about montrer does not need a time expression, because it is true whenever you say it. Example: “Il montre le livre ce matin.” — “He shows the book this morning.”

3. What is happening right now

The present also describes an action in progress at this very moment. French often prefers the simple present where English would use the continuous form, so a sentence with montrer in the present can mean both “I do this” and “I am doing this now”. Context tells the listener which one you mean. Example: “Nous montrons le livre avec Paul.” — “We show the book with Paul.”

4. Scheduled future events

French uses the present for something already fixed in the near future, especially with a time expression. It sounds more certain than the future tense, because the plan is already made. Example: “Tu montres le livre.” — “You show the book.”

5. Narration and commentary

In stories, instructions and live commentary, the present brings the action into the room. A recipe, a game or a story told in the present feels immediate, and montrer in the present is the tense that carries it. Example: “Ils montrent le livre tous les jours.” — “They show the book every day.”

Present Tense vs Passé Composé: how to choose

The closest tense to the present is the passé composé, and learners mix them up constantly. The rule is simple: the present describes habits, general truths and what is happening now, while the passé composé describes one finished action in the past. The three pairs below use the same verb, so the only thing that changes is the time frame — and with it, the tense. Notice how the present sentences use words such as tous les jours or toujours, while the passé composé sentences use hier or la semaine dernière. Those time words are your best clue when you are choosing a tense.

  • Present Tense: “Il montre le livre à la maison.” — “He shows the book at home.”
  • Passé Composé: “Il a montré le livre la semaine dernière.” — “He has shown the book last week.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Je montre le livre ce matin.” — “I show the book this morning.”
  • Passé Composé: “J'ai montré le livre ce matin.” — “I have shown the book this morning.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.
  • Present Tense: “Tu montres le livre avec Paul.” — “You show the book with Paul.”
  • Passé Composé: “Tu as montré le livre avant la fête.” — “You have shown the book before the party.”
  • The present sentence is a routine or a general truth; the passé composé sentence is one finished event. Tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

Example sentences: montrer in the present tense

Read these eight sentences out loud. They cover all six persons, so by the end you will have seen every form in the table used in a real sentence. Pay attention to the words around the verb — the time expressions and the objects — because those are what make each sentence sound natural.

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

Common mistakes

These are the errors learners actually make with this verb in this tense. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.

  • Wrong: “Je montres le livre.” Right: “Je montre le livre tous les jours.” Why: The je form is montre, not montres. montres is the tu form. Mixing the two persons is the most common error with this verb.
  • Wrong: “Nous montre le livre.” Right: “Nous montrons le livre tous les jours.” Why: Nous needs the nous form montrons. montre belongs with je only. Learn the six forms as two groups — singular and plural — and the pattern becomes automatic.
  • Wrong: “Je montre le livre hier.” Right: “J'ai montré le livre hier.” Why: Hier points to the past, so the present is wrong here. Use the passé composé ai montré for a finished action yesterday.
  • Wrong: “Je montrer le livre.” Right: “Je montre le livre tous les jours.” Why: The infinitive montrer never takes a subject. After je you need the conjugated form montre.

Quiz: test yourself

Choose the correct answer for each question, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained, so a wrong answer still teaches you something.

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

    • A) montre
    • B) aurai montré
    • C) avais montré
    • D) montrais

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

    • A) montrent
    • B) montrons
    • C) montrerais
    • D) montres

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

    • A) aurait montré
    • B) a montré
    • C) montrent
    • D) montre

  4. What is the nous form of montrer in the Present indicative?

    • A) montrâmes
    • B) montrons
    • C) montre
    • D) montrerions

  5. What is the vous form of montrer in the Present indicative?

    • A) montriez
    • B) montrez
    • C) montrerez
    • D) montrâtes

  6. What is the ils/elles form of montrer in the Present indicative?

    • A) auront montré
    • B) montreraient
    • C) avaient montré
    • D) montrent

  7. What is the je form of montrer in the Present indicative?

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

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

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

Answer key

  1. A) montre — the je form of montrer in the present indicative is montre. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  2. D) 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.
  3. D) montre — the il/elle form of montrer in the present indicative is montre. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  4. B) montrons — the nous form of montrer in the present indicative is montrons. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  5. B) montrez — the vous form of montrer in the present indicative is montrez. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  6. D) montrent — the ils/elles form of montrer in the present indicative is montrent. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  7. C) montre — the je form of montrer in the present indicative is montre. The other options are forms of the same verb for different persons or tenses.
  8. C) 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.

Frequently asked questions

What does montrer mean in English?

montrer means “to show”. It is a non-reflexive, regular verb.

How is the present tense of montrer formed?

The six present forms are: je montre, tu montres, il montre, nous montrons, vous montrez, ils montrent. 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.

When do I use the present instead of the passé composé?

Use the present for habits, general truths and what is happening now. Use the passé composé for one finished action in the past. The time words are your best clue: tous les jours points to the present, hier points to the passé composé.

What are the gerund and past participle of montrer?

The gerund is en montrant and the past participle is montré.

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