Ele ajuda a criança a cantar.

He helps the child to sing.

Breakdown of Ele ajuda a criança a cantar.

• ele: he
• a criança: the child
• cantar: to sing
• ajudar a: to help

Questions & Answers about Ele ajuda a criança a cantar.

Why are there two as in Ele ajuda a criança a cantar?

The first a is the definite article (the) placed before the noun criança (child). The second a is the preposition required by ajudar when it’s followed by an infinitive. It corresponds to the English “to” in “help someone to sing.”

Why is cantar in the infinitive rather than conjugated or in the gerund?

After verbs like ajudar that introduce another action, Portuguese uses the infinitive for the complementary verb. Here, cantar is the action the child is being helped to do.

• A conjugated form (e.g. canta) would need a different structure (like a subordinate clause).
• A gerund (cantando) would express manner (“He helps by singing”) rather than purpose.

Do I always need the preposition a after ajudar?

Yes, in standard Portuguese the pattern is ajudar alguém a fazer algo (“to help someone to do something”). Omitting the preposition (e.g. Ele ajuda a criança cantar) is common in casual speech but is considered nonstandard in writing.

Can I drop the definite article before criança, saying “Ele ajuda criança a cantar”?