Learn Hardcore Japanese: kare ha watasi no hi{kosi wo tetudatte kuremasita.

By using は, the speaker is setting up the topic (“As for him…”). It signals that you’re making a statement about “him” (彼) rather than just identifying who did it. If you used が (彼が私の引っ越しを手伝ってくれました), you’d be emphasizing the fact that “he” (as opposed to someone else) is the one who helped. With は, you assume the listener knows who you’re talking about and focus on the action or the additional comment.

Why is 私の引っ越し followed by を? I thought を marks a direct object for actions on people or things, not an event like moving.

In Japanese, when you “help” someone with an action or event, you mark the event itself as the object with を. So here 私の引っ越し (“my move”) is what he helped you with. You’re literally saying “He helped my moving.” If you wanted to say “help me” you’d use 私を in a different construction (e.g. 私を助けてくれました “He rescued/helped me”).

What’s the difference between 引っ越し and 引っ越す?

引っ越す is a verb meaning “to move (house).”
引っ越し is the noun form “move,” “moving.”

In 引っ越しを手伝う, you need the noun (what you’re helping): 引っ越し + を + 手伝う.

What does the て in 手伝ってくれました do?

The て-form of 手伝う is 手伝って. It connects that verb to the auxiliary くれる, allowing you to say “do me the favor of helping.” In general, V-て + くれる expresses that someone does something for the speaker’s benefit.

Why do we add くれる? Couldn’t we just say 彼は私の引っ越しを手伝いました?

くれる conveys that the action was a favor done for the speaker.

手伝いました alone just means “helped” without indicating a favor.
手伝ってくれました specifically tells the listener “He kindly helped me” or “He did me a favor by helping.”

What nuance changes if I say 彼は私の引っ越しを手伝ってもらいました instead?

With てもらう you flip the perspective:

手伝ってくれる: He gives me the favor. (Focus on his kindness.)
手伝ってもらう: I receive the favor. (Focus on my benefit.)

In practice they’re very close in meaning. 〜てもらいました sounds slightly more humble about your own action (“I had him help me”).

Could I use あげる in a similar way, like 手伝ってあげました?

Yes, but it changes who’s benefiting:

手伝ってくれました: He did me a favor.
手伝ってあげました: I did him a favor (I helped him).

Since the speaker is the one who benefited from the help, you use くれる (not あげる).

Why is くれました in the past polite form? When would I use a different tense or register?

くれました is past + polite. Use it when you’re reporting something that already happened, in a polite conversation.
You could say 手伝ってくれる (non-past/plain) to talk about a habitual help or a future favor:
- いつも彼が手伝ってくれる “He always helps me.”
In plain past you’d say 手伝ってくれた, useful in casual speech or writing.

How do you pronounce the small っ in 引っ越し?

The small っ indicates a slight pause or doubling of the following consonant. So 引っ越し is pronounced hikkoshi (hi-kko-shi), not hi-koshi. The “k” sound is held or geminated.