Introduction
Ayudar means “to help”, and it is one of the verbs you will use every day in Spanish. Ayudar is the verb for helping a person, with the personal a before the person you help. It is one of the first verbs learners use, because asking for and offering help is part of every day. Ayudar a + infinitive means to help to do something. The a is part of the structure, and it appears whenever an infinitive follows. This page shows ayudar in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make most often, and it finishes with a ten-question quiz so you can test yourself. Every sentence below comes with its English translation, and every form is the correct present-tense form unless the sentence is clearly marked as past or future. For a first taste: “Yo ayudo a mi madre en la cocina.” — I help my mother in the kitchen.
Ayudar in real example sentences
The twelve sentences below are grouped by how ayudar is used. Read each one out loud, then read the translation. If a sentence feels useful, copy it into your own notebook with one small change — a different time, a different person, a different place — and you have a new sentence of your own.
In the present: everyday use
These sentences use ayudar in the present tense, which is how you will meet it most often: routines, facts, and things happening now.
“Yo ayudo a mi madre en la cocina.” — I help my mother in the kitchen.
“¿Tú ayudas a tu hermano con los deberes?” — Do you help your brother with his homework?
“El profesor ayuda a los estudiantes.” — The teacher helps the students.
“Nosotros ayudamos con la mudanza.” — We help with the move.
Talking about the past
The present is not the only tense you need. These sentences show ayudar in the past, so you can talk about what already happened.
“Ayer yo ayudé a mi madre en la cocina.” — Yesterday I helped my mother in the kitchen. (preterite)
“El profesor ayudaba siempre a los estudiantes.” — The teacher always used to help the students. (imperfect)
Plans and things already done
These sentences look forward, or look back at something already finished. Notice how the verb form changes while the meaning of ayudar stays the same.
“Nosotros ayudaremos con la mudanza mañana.” — We will help with the move tomorrow. (future)
“¿Tú has ayudado alguna vez a un vecino?” — Have you ever helped a neighbour? (present perfect)
More everyday uses
Four more present-tense sentences, covering the remaining persons, so you can see the whole table in action.
“Vosotros ayudáis a preparar la fiesta.” — You help to prepare the party.
“Ellos ayudan a los vecinos.” — They help the neighbours.
“Yo ayudo con la tarea todos los días.” — I help with the homework every day.
“Mi padre ayuda a construir la casa.” — My father helps to build the house.
Ayudar in context
Single sentences teach you the forms. Dialogues teach you when to use them. Read the short conversation below, then the paragraph that follows, and notice how ayudar appears naturally, without anyone stopping to think about conjugation.
A short dialogue
Sara: “¿Tú ayudas a tu hermano con los deberes?” — Do you help your brother with his homework?
Diego: “Sí, yo ayudo a mi hermano todos los días.” — Yes, I help my brother every day.
Sara: “El profesor ayuda a los estudiantes, ¿verdad?” — The teacher helps the students, right?
Diego: “Sí, y nosotros ayudamos con la mudanza el sábado.” — Yes, and we help with the move on Saturday.
Sara: “Vosotros ayudáis a preparar la fiesta.” — You help to prepare the party.
Diego: “Sí, y ellos ayudan a los vecinos también.” — Yes, and they help the neighbours too.
A short paragraph
En casa de Sara, ella ayuda a su madre en la cocina y su hermano ayuda con los deberes. El profesor ayuda a los estudiantes en clase, y los vecinos ayudan a los vecinos cuando hay una mudanza. Nosotros ayudamos con la fiesta, y mi padre ayuda a construir la casa. Ayudar is everywhere in this street, because helping a person, helping with a task and helping to prepare something are three uses of one verb.
Common mistakes with ayudar
These are the errors learners actually make with ayudar. Each one shows the wrong version, the right version, and why the correction matters.
Wrong: “Yo ayudo mi madre.” Right: “Yo ayudo a mi madre.” Why: Helping a person needs the personal a: ayudo a mi madre. Without the a the sentence sounds unfinished to a native speaker, because a person as a direct object takes a in Spanish.
Wrong: “Yo ayudo preparar la cena.” Right: “Yo ayudo a preparar la cena.” Why: Ayudar + infinitive needs the preposition a: ayudo a preparar. Dropping the a is a direct transfer from English, where 'help prepare' needs no preposition at all.
Wrong: “Ellos ayuda a los vecinos.” Right: “Ellos ayudan a los vecinos.” Why: Ellos needs the ellos form ayudan. The singular ayuda belongs with él, ella or a singular noun such as el profesor.
Wrong: “Nosotros ayudas con la mudanza.” Right: “Nosotros ayudamos con la mudanza.” Why: Nosotros needs ayudamos. The tú form ayudas belongs with tú, and using it with nosotros breaks subject-verb agreement.
Wrong: “Ellos ayudo todos los días.” Right: “Ellos ayudan todos los días.” Why: The verb must agree with its subject. Ellos needs the ellos form ayudan, not the yo form ayudo. This is the most common agreement slip in the present tense, and it happens because learners memorise the yo form first and then reuse it for every person.
Quiz: ayudar in use
Ten questions on ayudar in real sentences. Choose the correct answer for each one, then check the answer key. Every answer is explained.
1. Complete the sentence: “Vosotros ______ a preparar la fiesta.” (You help to prepare the party.)
- (a) ayudas
- (b) ayudáis
- (c) ayudo
Answer: ayudáis — The vosotros/as form of ayudar in the present tense is ayudáis.
2. Complete the sentence: “Ellos ______ a los vecinos.” (They help the neighbours.)
- (a) ayudan
- (b) ayudo
- (c) ayudas
Answer: ayudan — The ellos/ellas/Uds. form of ayudar in the present tense is ayudan.
3. Complete the sentence (preterite): “Ayer yo ______ a mi madre en la cocina.” (Yesterday I helped my mother in the kitchen.)
- (a) ayudaste
- (b) ayudó
- (c) ayudé
Answer: ayudé — In the preterite, the yo form of ayudar is ayudé.
4. Complete the sentence (imperfect): “El profesor ______ siempre a los estudiantes.” (The teacher always used to help the students.)
- (a) ayudabas
- (b) ayudaba
- (c) ayudaba
Answer: ayudaba — In the imperfect, the él/ella/Ud. form of ayudar is ayudaba.
5. Complete the sentence (future): “Nosotros ______ con la mudanza mañana.” (We will help with the move tomorrow.)
- (a) ayudaremos
- (b) ayudaré
- (c) ayudarás
Answer: ayudaremos — In the future, the nosotros/as form of ayudar is ayudaremos.
6. What does ayudar mean in English?
- (a) to finish, to end
- (b) to serve
- (c) to help
Answer: to help — Ayudar means “to help”. The other options are the meanings of different verbs.
7. Which sentence is correct?
- (a) Yo ayudo a mi madre.
- (b) Yo ayudo mi madre.
- (c) Yo ayudo preparar la cena.
Answer: Yo ayudo a mi madre. — “Yo ayudo a mi madre.” is correct. The other two sentences contain the mistakes explained in the section above.
8. How do you say “I help with the homework every day.” in Spanish?
- (a) Yo ayudan con la tarea todos los días.
- (b) Yo ayudo con la tarea todos los días.
- (c) Mi padre ayuda a construir la casa.
Answer: Yo ayudo con la tarea todos los días. — “Yo ayudo con la tarea todos los días.” is the correct translation. The second option means something different, and the third uses the wrong person's form.
9. What is the nosotros form of ayudar in the present tense?
- (a) ayudo
- (b) ayudas
- (c) ayudamos
Answer: ayudamos — The nosotros form is ayudamos.
10. Which of these sentences is in the present tense?
- (a) Ayer yo ayudé a mi madre en la cocina.
- (b) Nosotros ayudaremos con la mudanza mañana.
- (c) Yo ayudo a mi madre en la cocina.
Answer: Yo ayudo a mi madre en la cocina. — “Yo ayudo a mi madre en la cocina.” is in the present tense. The other two are in the preterite and the future.
Frequently asked questions
How do you ask for help in Spanish?
Say '¿Me puedes ayudar?' (Can you help me?) or 'Necesito ayuda' (I need help). Both are natural and polite. For a specific task, add con: '¿Me puedes ayudar con la tarea?'
How do you say 'Can you help me?' in Spanish?
Say '¿Me puedes ayudar?' The me is the indirect object: the help comes to you. In a formal situation, say '¿Me puede ayudar?' with the usted form of poder.
Does ayudar change meaning with different prepositions?
Yes. Ayudar a + person means to help someone; ayudar a + infinitive means to help to do something; ayudar con + noun means to help with a thing. The preposition is part of the meaning, so always check which one the sentence needs.
Related pages
- Full conjugation of ayudar — every tense of ayudar in one place.
- Ayudar in the present tense — the full table and usage rules for one tense.
- Spanish verbs — the hub for every Spanish verb on VerbFlow.
- Verb quiz — test yourself on ayudar and other verbs.
- Conjugation practice — drill the forms of ayudar until they are automatic.