Ways to say it
| French | IPA |
|---|---|
| aider | /ɛ.de/ /e.de/ |
| secourir | /sə.ku.ʁiʁ/ |
The term is used to express the act of providing assistance to someone or something. In a noun form, aide refers to the assistance or the act of helping, while secours refers to relief or emergency assistance. If you are in a life-threatening situation and need to cry out for help, you should use the exclamations au secours or à l’aide.
Which one should you use?
aider is the general verb used for providing assistance or helping someone with a task. In contrast, secourir is a more specific verb used for providing emergency aid, rescuing someone in danger or providing succor in serious, life-threatening situations.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
aider is a transitive verb, which means it usually requires a direct object, such as the person being helped, to follow it immediately. Regarding the noun forms, aide is feminine and secours is masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of aider is /ɛ.de/.
When do people say it?
In an emergency or a life-threatening situation, the standard exclamation to call for help is au secours. The phrase à l’aide is also a common way to cry out for help, frequently used when someone is physically stuck or requires immediate assistance.
Did you know?
- While aider means 'to help', the phrase je ne peux pas m'en empêcher is used when a speaker cannot 'help' themselves from doing something. This uses a completely different verb, empêcher, meaning 'to prevent'.
- The verb secourir contains a hidden instruction to 'run' to someone, as it is built from the Latin roots meaning 'to run to' the aid of someone.
- The French word secours shares a root with the English word 'succor', though the latter is now rare and considered very formal or literary in English.
Examples in context
- Va aider Tom !Go and help Tom.This sentence shows how to use aider to give a command to help someone.Tatoeba #7412136 by lbdx, translation #3494558 by Hybrid
- Tu dois aider !You have to help.This sentence demonstrates the necessity of using aider to provide assistance.Tatoeba #7482612 by Micsmithel, translation #2274024 by CK
- Tu veux aider ?Do you want to help?This sentence uses aider to ask about a desire to provide help.Tatoeba #8666752 by Micsmithel, translation #2011465 by CK
- Pouvez-vous m'aider?Can you help me?
- J'ai besoin d'aide.I need help.
- Pourriez-vous me donner un coup de main, s'il vous plaît?Could you please lend me a hand?
- Appelez les secours !Call for help!
- Hé, tu peux m'aider?Hey, can you help me?
- Je suis bloqué. Tu peux me donner un coup de main?I'm stuck. Can you give me a hand?
- Viens m'aider avec ça !Come help me with this!
- Tu peux venir me donner un coup de main ?Can you come and give me a hand?
- Au secours!Help!
- 2232 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Chloé and Hugo are in the kitchen.
- ChloéTu peux m'aider à cuisiner ?Can you help me cook?
- HugoBien sûr, je vais t'aider.Of course, I will help you.
- ChloéMerci, Hugo !Thanks, Hugo!
- HugoJe suis ravi d'aider.I am happy to help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “help” translations and entries aider, secourir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries aider, secourir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
