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Les passagers doivent monter à bord de l'avion 30 minutes avant le décollage.
Passengers must board the plane 30 minutes before takeoff.
To enter a vehicle, ship, or aircraft and take one's seat.
Il est interdit de monter à bord sans billet.
Boarding without a ticket is prohibited.
Les marins montent à bord du navire à 8 heures.
The sailors board the ship at 8 o'clock.
Commonly used for planes, ships, trains, and buses. Can also refer to entering any enclosed space like a spacecraft or a building in a formal context.
In French, 'monter à bord' specifically implies entering a vehicle with clear designated seating (planes, ships, trains). For cars, use 'monter dans la voiture' instead.
Always use 'à bord' with 'monter' for formal transportation. For informal contexts (e.g., a friend's car), 'monter dans' is acceptable.
From 'monter' (to go up/ascend) + 'à' (to) + 'bord' (ship's side/edge). Literally 'to go up to the side of the ship,' reflecting the historical act of climbing onto a vessel. The phrase has expanded to include all forms of transportation.
Used for both literal boarding and metaphorical entry into any organized group or system (e.g., 'monter à bord d'un projet' = to join a project). In formal contexts, 'embarquer' is more common for ships.