aider
/ɛ.de/
To help in French is aider.
The verb aider is used to express giving assistance or support to someone so they can achieve a goal. You can also use the noun aide to refer to help or aid.
Which one should you use?
While aider is the general term for providing assistance, secourir is a much stronger verb used specifically when rescuing someone from immediate danger.
How does it change in a sentence?
aider is a transitive verb. When helping a person, use it directly with a direct object, such as aider quelqu'un. If you are helping to perform an action, you must use the preposition à before the infinitive verb, forming aider à.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɛ.de/
Did you know?
- In French, the phrase donner un coup de main is a common idiom for helping that literally translates to 'giving a blow of the hand', though it simply means 'lending a hand'.
- The French word aide is used as a noun for a 'teaching assistant', but the specific term aide-camp originally referred to a military officer acting as a personal assistant to a general.
- The term secourir is a direct ancestor of the English word 'succor', although 'succor' has become rare and archaic in modern English while secourir remains common in French.
Examples in context
- Tu dois aider !You have to help.This sentence uses aider to express a necessity to help.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 help.Tatoeba #8666752 by Micsmithel, translation #2011465 by CK
- Ça a paru aider.That seemed to help.This sentence uses aider to describe the appearance of helping.Tatoeba #3599250 by sacredceltic, translation #3594076 by CK
- Je peux vous aider, madame?Can I help you, madam?
- L'organisation a apporté de l'aide aux victimesThe organization brought help to the victims
- Les pompiers sont arrivés pour secourir les blessésThe firefighters arrived to help the injured
- Je peux t'aider avec tes devoirs?Can I help you with your homework?
- Je vais te donner un coup de main pour déménagerI'll give you a hand with the move
- 1035 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
In a classroom, Gabriel asks Emma for assistance with a task.
- GabrielEmma, tu peux m'aider ?Emma, can you help me?
- EmmaBien sûr, je vais t'aider.Of course, I will help you.
- GabrielMerci, c'est très gentil.Thank you, that is very kind.
- EmmaDe rien, Gabriel.You're welcome, Gabriel.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry aider, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
