Which one should you use?
While Preciso de ajuda is a general request for assistance, Preciso de socorro is a more urgent cry for help in life-threatening emergencies.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Brazilian Portuguese, you may hear the variation Tô precisando de ajuda. In European Portuguese, you can use Podia ajudar-me, por favor? or Estou a precisar de ajuda.
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb precisar is a transitive indirect verb, meaning it must be followed by the preposition de when followed by an object. In the phrase Preciso de ajuda, the subject Eu (I) is often omitted because the verb conjugation preciso already indicates the first-person singular.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation of Preciso de ajuda is /pɾeˈsi.zu dʒi aˈʒu.dɐ/. It has 5 syllables and the stress is on the second syllable.
Did you know?
- The word preciso is a homonym in Portuguese. Depending on the context, it can mean 'I need' or it can be an adjective meaning 'precise'.
- The word ajuda is a linguistic relative of the English word 'aid'. Both trace their origins back to the Latin root adiūtāre.
- The Portuguese word ajuda is almost identical to the Spanish word ayuda, reflecting their shared Galician-Portuguese origins.
Examples in context
- Preciso de ajuda agora.I need help now.Tatoeba #4820537 by Ricardo14, translation #2387488 by CK
- Eu preciso de ajuda agora!I need help right now!Tatoeba #2852989 by MarlonX19, translation #2036165 by AlanF_US
- Eu sei que preciso de ajuda.I know I need help.Tatoeba #9249491 by bill, translation #6274391 by CK
- Desculpe-me, eu estou perdido. Eu preciso de ajuda para chegar ao museu.Excuse me, I am lost. I need help getting to the museum.
- Por favor, eu preciso de ajuda. Onde posso encontrar camisas brancas?Please, I need help. Where can I find white shirts?
- 6 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Gabriel is struggling with some heavy boxes at home.
- GabrielJuliana, preciso de ajuda com estas caixas.Juliana, I need help with these boxes.
- JulianaClaro, Gabriel. Onde você quer que eu as coloque?Of course, Gabriel. Where do you want me to put them?
- GabrielNa cozinha, por favor.In the kitchen, please.
- JulianaSem problemas, eu ajudo você.No problem, I will help you.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (preciso, de, ajuda) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries ajuda, de, preciso, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
