Eu te ajudo a estudar português.

I help you study Portuguese.

Breakdown of Eu te ajudo a estudar português.

• eu: I
• português: Portuguese
• estudar: to study
• ajudar: to help
• te: you

Questions & Answers about Eu te ajudo a estudar português.

Why do we use te instead of lhe or o/a?

• In Portuguese, te is the direct-object clitic pronoun for the second-person singular informal (tu).
• The verb ajudar takes a direct object ("help someone"). So you need a direct-object pronoun, not an indirect one.
• lhe is an indirect-object pronoun (for “to him,” “to her,” or formal “to you”), and o/a are third-person direct-object pronouns (“him,” “her,” “it”).
• Therefore, when you’re helping you (tu), you say te ajudo, not lhe ajudo or o ajudo.

Why is there an a before estudar?

• In Portuguese, many verbs (like ajudar, começar, voltar) require the preposition a before a following infinitive.
• It’s similar to English “help to study,” so you get ajudar a estudar.
• Standard grammar says “ajudar a + infinitive,” though in casual spoken Brazilian Portuguese you might hear people drop the a (“ajudo estudar”)—but that’s nonstandard.

When do we use ajudar a + infinitive versus ajudar com + noun?

• ajudar a + infinitive = “help someone to do something”
Example: Eu te ajudo a estudar. (“I help you to study.”)
• ajudar com + noun = “help someone with something (a thing or task)”
Example: Eu ajudo você com o dever de casa. (“I help you with your homework.”)

Why is the subject pronoun eu included? Do we have to use it?

• Portuguese is a pro-drop language: the verb ending -o in ajudo already tells you the subject is “I.”
• You can omit eu and say Te ajudo a estudar português, or simply Ajudo a estudar português (though you’d usually keep te for clarity).
• You include eu only for emphasis or to avoid ambiguity.

Why don’t we use an article before português? When would we ever say o português?

• When naming languages, Portuguese usually omits the definite article: estudar inglês, falar espanhol, estudar português.
• You might add o if you specify a particular variety or context: o português do Brasil, o português que se fala em Portugal, but not in general “study Portuguese.”

How do you pronounce “Eu te ajudo a estudar português”?

A rough phonetic guide in Brazilian Portuguese:
• Eu [ew] (like “eh-oo”)
• te [t͡ʃi] (“tchee”)
• ajudo [aˈʒu.du] (“a-ZHU-doo”)
• a [ɐ] (a very short “uh”)
• estudar [is.tuˈdaɾ] (“is-too-DAR”)
• português [poʁ.tuˈɡes] or [poʁ.tuˈɡez] (“por-too-GES”)

Can I also say Eu ajudo você a estudar português? What’s the difference?

• Yes—você is the common second-person pronoun in Brazil, and you treat it as a subject, not a clitic.
• You’d say Eu ajudo você a estudar português.
• Difference:
– te (clitic) = “you (tu)” with direct object.
– você = “you” as a regular noun-subject.
• Meaning is the same; te is shorter and more colloquial if you’re on “tu” terms.

How would I say this sentence formally, addressing someone as o senhor or a senhora?

• Use the noun phrase o senhor (or a senhora) as direct object:
Eu ajudo o senhor a estudar português.
Eu ajudo a senhora a estudar português.
• Optionally, you can also use the indirect clitic lhe (formal, written style):
Eu lhe ajudo a estudar português.
• For extra politeness, you might say:
Posso ajudar o senhor a estudar português?