French · Everyday Verbs

"to help" in French: aider

aider

Say it: eh-DAYverb/ɛ.de/

To help in French is aider. Je t'aide means I help you. Aide-moi means help me. Aider quelqu'à faire quelque chose uses à before the infinitive.

Moving boxes

Tu peux m'aider avec ça ?
Can you help me with this?
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How to pronounce aider

Say it

eh-DAY

/ɛ.de/

eh-DAY. Soft d; ay ending.

"to help" in French: quick reference

FrenchEnglish
aiderto help

Infinitive.

j'aide / tu aidesI help / you help

Present.

aidé(e)helped

Past participle.

aide-moihelp me

Imperative with pronoun.

How to use aider in real life

  1. 1Moving boxes

    Tu peux m'aider avec ça ?

    Can you help me with this?

    M'aider.

  2. 2Homework

    Je t'aide pour les maths ce soir.

    I'll help you with math tonight.

    Je t'aide.

  3. 3Kitchen

    Aide-moi à couper les légumes.

    Help me chop the vegetables.

    Aider à + infinitive.

Mistakes English speakers make with aider

Incorrect: Je t'aide de ranger.

Correct: Je t'aide à ranger.

Aider à + infinitive.

Incorrect: Help-moi.

Correct: Aide-moi.

Use aider forms.

Good to know

Aide-moi is the quick ask among friends; aidez-moi uses vous. Au secours ! is for emergencies, not everyday favors. Une aide can mean help as a noun or an assistant.

Try it in a ChatPal conversation

Assembling furniture

  1. ChatPal

    Tu m'aides avec cette étagère ?

    Will you help me with this shelf?

  2. You

    Oui, je t'aide. Tiens le côté.

    Yes, I'll help you. Hold the side.

  3. ChatPal

    Merci. Tu m'aides vraiment beaucoup.

    Thanks. You're really helping me a lot.

  4. You

    On finit ça et on boit un café.

    We'll finish this and have a coffee.

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"to help" in other languages

FAQ

Common questions about "to help" in French

How do I say help me?

Aide-moi (tu) / aidez-moi (vous).

How do I say I help you?

Je t'aide.

How do I say help someone do something?

Aider quelqu'un à faire quelque chose.

How do you pronounce aider?

Eh-DAY.

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