من به او کمک کردم و پول را نگه داشتم.

I helped her and kept the money.

Breakdown of من به او کمک کردم و پول را نگه داشتم.

• من: I
• و: and
• به: to
• را: (direct object marker)
• پول: money
• او: she/her
• کمک کردن: to help
• نگه داشتن: to keep

Questions & Answers about من به او کمک کردم و پول را نگه داشتم.

Why is به used before او in من به او کمک کردم?

In Persian, به often marks an indirect object (roughly to/for someone). With کمک کردن (to help), the person you help is commonly introduced with به:

• به او کمک کردم = I helped him/her.
  You can also say it without به by turning the person into a direct object with a clitic:
• کمکش کردم = I helped him/her (literally: I did his/her help).

What exactly does را do in پول را?

را marks a definite/specific direct object. پول را نگه داشتم implies the money (some known/specific money) rather than just money in general.
If the money is non-specific/indefinite, را is usually omitted:

• پول نگه داشتم can sound more like I saved/kept some money (depending on context).

Why does Persian say کمک کردم (literally “I did help”) instead of using one verb?

Many common Persian verbs are compound verbs: a noun/adjective + a light verb like کردن.
Here:

• کمک کردن = to help
  So کمک کردم is simply the normal past tense form of کمک کردن.

How is the past tense formed in کردم and داشتم?

Persian past tense uses the past stem + a personal ending:

• کردم = کرد (did) + -م (I) → I did
• داشتم = داشت (had) + -م (I) → I had
  In the sentence, کردم and داشتم are the conjugated parts of the compound verbs کمک کردم and نگه داشتم.

If داشتم means “I had,” why does نگه داشتم mean “I kept”?

Because نگه داشتن is a fixed compound verb meaning to keep/hold onto (not literally “to have”).
So:

• نگه داشتم = I kept / I held onto / I retained (depending on context)

What is نگه on its own? Is it a word?

نگه is a shortened form used in the compound verb نگه داشتن. You’ll also see the fuller form نگاه داشتن in some styles, but in everyday Persian نگه داشتن is very common and natural.

Can I replace به او with something more conversational?

Yes. In spoken Persian:

• بهش کمک کردم = I helped him/her (به + او → بهش)
  And as a clitic/direct object:
• کمکش کردم = I helped him/her
  Also, colloquial او is often اون (but او is perfectly standard).

Why is the subject من included? Isn’t it already inside the verb?

Yes, the verb ending -م already tells you the subject is I, so من is optional.
Including من can add emphasis or clarity (e.g., contrast with someone else):

• (من) کمک کردم = (I) helped

How does word order work here? Can I move things around?

Persian is generally SOV (Subject–Object–Verb), and each clause typically ends with its verb:

• من | به او | کمک کردم
• و | پول را | نگه داشتم
  You can reorder some parts for emphasis, but it’s most natural to keep the verb at the end of each clause.

Does و connect two full sentences or just two verbs?

Here و connects two coordinated clauses that share the same subject (من), which is why من isn’t repeated:

• I helped him/her and (I) kept the money.
  Persian often omits repeated subjects when they’re obvious.

Is او “him” or “her”? How do I know?

او is gender-neutral: it can mean he or she. The sentence itself doesn’t specify gender; you infer it from context or add clarifying information elsewhere if needed.

How is this usually written: نگه داشتم or نگه‌داشتم?

Both appear. Many writers keep compound verbs as two words: نگه داشتم.
Some prefer using a half-space (zero-width non-joiner) to show it’s one unit: نگه‌داشتم.
Either way, the meaning is the same; it’s mostly an orthography/style choice.