Questions & Answers about Sie müssen uns helfen!
Why is 'us' translated as uns? Is this a dative pronoun?
Yes! The verb helfen (to help) is a special verb in German that always requires the dative case. Instead of the accusative case that most direct objects use, the person you are helping must be in the dative. The dative form of wir (we) is uns (us).
Does uns look different if it is an accusative object instead of a dative one?
Actually, no! For wir (we), the accusative and dative forms are exactly the same: uns. You just know it is functioning as a dative pronoun in this specific sentence because the verb helfen always demands the dative case.
How can I tell that Sie means the formal 'you' and not 'they' or 'she'?
The plural verb form müssen (must) tells us it cannot be 'she', because that would be Sie muss. It could technically translate to 'They must help us!', but because this is an urgent exclamation, a direct plea using the formal 'you' makes the most sense. If Sie were in the middle of a sentence, its capitalization would be a dead giveaway that it means the formal 'you'.
Why is helfen at the very end of the sentence?
This is because of the modal verb müssen (must). In German, modal verbs take the normal verb spot in the second position, and they push the main action verb (helfen) all the way to the end of the sentence in its basic, un-conjugated dictionary form.