Ik zoek hulp bij het huiswerk.

I

Breakdown of Ik zoek hulp bij het huiswerk.

• het huiswerk: the homework
• de hulp: the help
• zoeken: to seek
• bij: with

Questions & Answers about Ik zoek hulp bij het huiswerk.

What does Ik zoek hulp bij het huiswerk literally translate to in English?

It literally translates as "I search help at the homework," but in natural English it means "I'm looking for help with the homework." Here, ik means "I", zoek means "look for" or "am searching for", hulp is "help", bij corresponds to "with" (indicating the area where help is needed), and het huiswerk means "the homework."

Why is the preposition bij used in this sentence instead of something like voor?

Dutch uses the phrase hulp bij as a set collocation to indicate assistance with something. Just as in English we say "help with", Dutch naturally pairs hulp with bij. Using voor here would be non-idiomatic and could confuse the intended meaning.

Why does the noun hulp appear without an article?

In Dutch, as in English, abstract or uncountable nouns like hulp (help) often appear without an article. The sentence communicates the general idea of needing help, so there’s no need for an article—just like we say "I need help" rather than "I need a help."

What does the use of het in het huiswerk tell us about the noun huiswerk?

The definite article het is used because huiswerk is a neuter noun in Dutch. Even though English typically treats homework as an uncountable noun (often without an article), Dutch grammar requires the appropriate definite article for neuter nouns, hence het huiswerk specifically means "the homework."

How is the verb zoeken conjugated in this sentence, and why is it zoek?

In this sentence, zoek is the first-person singular present tense form of zoeken. When using ik ("I") in Dutch, the base form of the verb is typically used without any added ending. Using a form like zoekte would indicate the past tense, which isn’t appropriate for expressing a current action.