Why Ayudar Is More Than "To Help"
Ayudar is the verb of offering a hand and asking for one. But the small words around it matter: ayudar a before a verb, ayudar con before a task, and ayuda as a noun for thanks. Getting those right makes you sound polite and fluent in any situation.
Learn these six patterns as whole chunks and you will offer, request, and acknowledge help without second-guessing the grammar.
Pattern 1: ¿En qué puedo ayudarte? — "How can I help you?"
The standard offer, used by shop assistants, friends, and colleagues alike. Use ayudarte with people you address as tú and ayudarle with usted. For more with poder, see [Poder] Chunks.
- ¿En qué puedo ayudarte? — How can I help you?
- ¿En qué puedo ayudarle, señora? — How can I help you, madam?
- ¿Puedo ayudarte en algo? — Can I help you with anything?
Chunk to learn:
¿En qué puedo ayudarte / ayudarle?
Pattern 2: Ayudar a + infinitive — "Help (someone) do something"
Learners often forget the little a. After ayudar, a following verb needs it: ayudar a plus the infinitive. Put the person helped before it as an object pronoun.
- Ayúdame a llevar esto. — Help me carry this.
- Me ayudó a mudarme. — He helped me move.
- ¿Me ayudas a cocinar? — Will you help me cook?
Chunk to learn:
Ayudar (a alguien) a + [infinitive]
Pattern 3: ¿Me ayudas con…? — "Can you help me with…?"
When the help is about a thing rather than an action, use con. It is the natural way to ask a friend for a hand with a task, and it sounds warm because it is a question, not an order.
- ¿Me ayudas con la tarea? — Can you help me with my homework?
- ¿Me ayudas con las maletas? — Can you help me with the suitcases?
- ¿Me ayudas con esto, por favor? — Can you help me with this, please?
Chunk to learn:
¿Me ayudas con + [noun / esto]?
Pattern 4: Eso no ayuda — "That doesn't help"
Ayudar also works with things as the subject: something helps or does not help. Use it for honest comments and advice. With no ayuda que add a subjunctive to say that a fact makes things worse.
- Eso no ayuda. — That doesn't help.
- Ayuda mucho practicar todos los días. — It helps a lot to practice every day.
- No ayuda que hable tan rápido. — It doesn't help that he speaks so fast.
Chunk to learn:
Eso (no) ayuda / (No) ayuda + [infinitive / que + subjunctive]
Pattern 5: Ayudarse — "To help each other"
The reflexive form works as a reciprocal: people helping one another. It is a lovely chunk for neighbors, families, and teams, and it often appears in proverbs and in advice to stick together.
- Los vecinos se ayudan. — The neighbors help each other.
- Nos ayudamos con los gastos. — We help each other with the expenses.
- Hay que ayudarse entre todos. — We all have to help each other.
Chunk to learn:
Nos ayudamos / Se ayudan + [con…]
Pattern 6: Gracias a tu ayuda — "Thanks to your help"
As a noun, ayuda gives you the full set of thank-you and request chunks. It is also how you say you need help or invite someone to ask for it. To learn how to ask, see [Pedir] Chunks.
- Gracias a tu ayuda, aprobé el examen. — Thanks to your help, I passed the exam.
- Con la ayuda de un amigo, lo arreglé. — With a friend's help, I fixed it.
- No dudes en pedir ayuda. — Don't hesitate to ask for help.
Chunk to learn:
Gracias a tu ayuda / Con la ayuda de + [person] / Pedir ayuda
Ayudar vs. Echar una mano
Echar una mano, literally "to throw a hand", is the informal twin: ¿Me echas una mano? It sounds friendly and casual, while ayudar is neutral and works everywhere. For more idioms of giving, see [Dar] Chunks.
Start with ¿me ayudas con…? and gracias a tu ayuda. You will use both the next time you speak Spanish.
This post is part of the Spanish Chunk Series — a growing collection of chunk patterns for natural Spanish.