Most verbs use either avoir or être as the auxiliary verb in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) (or other compound tense), but monter uses both, depending on its grammatical usage* and what it means in the sentence.
*Grammaphile's Corner : the technical grammatical distinction between these cases is actually whether the verb is used in a transitive or intransitive manner.
- The transitive version (the version with a direct object) uses avoir.
- The intransitive version (lacking a direct object), uses être.
- The transitive version (the version with a direct object) uses avoir.
- The intransitive version (lacking a direct object), uses être.
Using avoir or être with the verb MONTER in Le Passé Composé (Indicatif) in French
être + monté [dans, sur, en, etc.]
= to go inside [something]
= to get on [something]
= to embark
Note that in each case where être is the auxilliary, the verb monter is followed by a preposition (en, sur, dans, à, ...).
In these cases, monter is usually about getting inside [something], or going on top of [something].
In these cases, monter is usually about getting inside [something], or going on top of [something].
avoir + monté [quelque chose]
= to walk/ride... up [something]
= to take [something] up
= to put [something] together
= to mount [something]
When monter is followed immediately by a noun (as opposed to a preposition), it uses avoir as the auxiliary, like most verbs.
It can be very tricky to get the distinction here if you think in terms of what monter means in English. English verbs are very often 'prepositional', meaning we say things like to climb on a horse as well as mount a horse which are equivalent in meaning but grammatically very different - our verbs very often have prepositions where they don't in French!
Here is the list of all "two-auxiliary" verbs in compound tenses:
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