How to Say “Help Me” in Portuguese

By •
Ajude-me
The Portuguese phrase for help me is Ajude-me.
Ajude-me is a request for assistance when someone needs help with a task or is in trouble. While Ajude-me is a standard way to make this request, you can also use the exclamation Socorro! if you are in immediate physical danger or life-threatening distress.

What does it mean word for word?

Ajude is the imperative form of the verb 'ajudar' (to help) and -me is the object pronoun meaning 'me'.

Which one should you use?

While Ajude-me is used for requests for assistance with tasks or problems, Socorro! is the specific exclamation used when in immediate physical danger or life-threatening distress.

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Portugal, a polite and indirect way to say Could you give me a little help, please? Is Será que podia dar-me uma ajudinha? In Brazil, Socorro, me ajuda! is used in emergency situations and means Help, help me!

How does it change in a sentence?

The form Ajuda-me uses the informal 'tu' imperative, whereas Ajude-me uses the formal or standard 'você' imperative. Additionally, in spoken Brazilian Portuguese, the pronoun is typically placed before the verb as me ajude instead of the formal ajude-me.

When do people say it?

Obrigado/a pela ajuda can be used to say thank you for the help.

Did you know?

  • In Brazil, the word socorro is sometimes used as a slang exclamation of shock or disbelief, similar to saying 'Help!' or 'Good grief!' when seeing something surprising.
  • The word socorro shares a root with the English word 'succor', which means assistance in a time of hardship.
  • The diminutive form ajudinha in the phrase dar-me uma ajudinha is not just about size, but is used as a linguistic tool to make a request seem less burdensome and more polite.

Examples in context

  • Venha cá e ajude-me.
    Come here and help me.
    This sentence shows how to use Ajude-me in a command to come and assist.
    Tatoeba #1834239 by alexmarcelo, translation #61596 by CK
  • Ajude-me, se você puder.
    Help me if you can.
    This sentence uses Ajude-me to express a conditional request for help.
    Tatoeba #5201647 by ajdavidl, translation #3825926 by CK
  • Ajude-me com minha gravata.
    Help me with my tie.
    This sentence uses Ajude-me to request help with a specific object.
    Tatoeba #5824787 by ajdavidl, translation #3732850 by CK
  • Pode me ajudar, por favor? Estou perdido/a.
    Can you help me, please? I'm lost.
  • Preciso de ajuda para carregar essas caixas pesadas.
    I need help carrying these heavy boxes.
  • Será que podia me dar um help com o meu computador?
    Could you give me a hand with my computer?
  • Me ajuda aqui com essa tarefa, por favor?
    Can you help me with this task, please?
  • 24 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Lucas is trying to carry many heavy boxes at home.

  1. Lucas

    Beatriz, ajude-me com estas caixas.
    Beatriz, help me with these boxes.
  2. Beatriz

    Claro, Lucas. Onde você quer colocá-las?
    Of course, Lucas. Where do you want to put them?
  3. Lucas

    Naquela mesa, por favor.
    On that table, please.
  4. Beatriz

    Está bem, eu ajudo você agora.
    Alright, I will help you now.

Sources

⭐Share⭐ to appreciate human effort 🙏
Kathleen Hayley
Kathleen HayleyHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
guest
0 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Scroll to Top