Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Busco a alguien que sea puntual y que me ayude con la mudanza. - I’m looking for someone who is punctual and who can help me with the move.

When the direct object is a person (or something personified), you usually put a before it.
- Busco a alguien. = I’m looking for someone.
- Veo a María. = I see María.
- Llamo a mi hermano. = I call my brother.

Even though alguien means “someone” (not a specific person), it still refers to a human, so Spanish uses the personal a.

You would not use a with non-person direct objects:

Busco trabajo. = I’m looking for work.
Necesito dinero. = I need money.

So Busco a alguien is correct; Busco alguien sounds wrong to native speakers.

Why is it que sea puntual and not que es puntual?

Because of the subjunctive. In Spanish, when you describe an unknown, unspecified, or not-yet-found person, you normally use the subjunctive in the clause that describes them.

Busco a alguien que sea puntual.
You don’t know who this person is yet; they may or may not exist. This triggers subjunctive (sea).

Compare with a known, real person:

Tengo un amigo que es puntual.
I have a specific friend; he exists. That uses the indicative (es).

So:

que sea puntual → desired quality of an unknown person
que es puntual → actual quality of a known, real person

In this sentence, you’re describing a person you hope to find, so sea is the natural choice.

Why is me ayude in the subjunctive, not me ayuda?

Again, it’s because of the type of clause—you’re expressing a wish / goal about someone who is not yet identified.

Busco a alguien que me ayude con la mudanza.
You want someone who will help you in the future. That action is not real yet, just a desired characteristic of this hypothetical person.

Spanish uses the subjunctive in relative clauses after verbs like:

buscar, necesitar, querer
when the person/thing is non‑specific or hypothetical:
Necesito a alguien que me ayude.
Quiero un coche que sea barato.

If the person were specific and really does help you, you’d use the indicative:

Tengo un amigo que me ayuda con la mudanza.
(I have a friend who helps me with the move.)

So me ayude fits the idea of a desired future helper, not an already-existing helper.

Why do we repeat que: que sea puntual y que me ayude? Can we say que sea puntual y me ayude?

Both versions are correct:

Busco a alguien que sea puntual y que me ayude con la mudanza.
Busco a alguien que sea puntual y me ayude con la mudanza.

The repetition of que is:

Common and natural, especially in careful speech or writing
Useful for clarity, because it separates the two different verbs:
- que sea (that he/she be)
- que me ayude (that he/she help me)

Without the repetition:

…que sea puntual y me ayude… is a little more compact and still clear. Many speakers would say it this way in casual speech.

So it’s mostly a stylistic choice; the meaning is the same.

What does me mean in que me ayude? Why not just que ayude?

Me is an object pronoun meaning “me” (to me).

The verb ayudar works like this:

ayudar a alguien = to help someone
- Ayudo a mi hermano. = I help my brother.
- Ayudo a Juan. = I help Juan.

With pronouns, you usually include them:

Me ayudas. = You help me.
Quiero que me ayudes. = I want you to help me.

So in que me ayude:

que = that / who
me = me
ayude = (he/she) help (subjunctive)

If you said just que ayude, it would sound incomplete or too vague (help whom? help in general?). You need me to show that the help is for you:

Busco a alguien que ayude con la mudanza.
= I’m looking for someone who helps with the move (in general, not necessarily helping me).
Busco a alguien que me ayude con la mudanza.
= I’m looking for someone who helps me with the move.

What exactly does mudanza mean? Is it just “move” or “change”?

Mudanza is a noun that specifically refers to a house move, moving from one home to another, including the process and often the boxes/furniture involved.

Hacer una mudanza = to move house
Ayudar con la mudanza = to help with the move (carrying boxes, furniture, etc.)

It’s not the general word for “move” (like moving your hand) or for “change”:

Physical movement: movimiento
Change in general: cambio

Also note the article:

la mudanza = “the move”
Spanish almost always uses an article with this kind of noun here, where English might omit it:
Ayúdame con la mudanza.
= Help me with (the) move / Help me move.

Why is it con la mudanza and not para la mudanza or en la mudanza?

It’s mainly because of the usual pattern:

ayudar con + noun = to help with + noun

Examples:

Ayudar con la tarea. = help with homework
Ayudar con los preparativos. = help with the preparations
Ayudar con la mudanza. = help with the move

Alternatives:

para la mudanza would sound more like “for the move” (for the purpose of the move), not the normal collocation for “help with the move.”
en la mudanza would usually sound like “during the move / in the move,” not “with the move.”

So con is the natural, idiomatic choice here.

Why is it Busco and not Estoy buscando?

Both are possible; the difference is subtle:

Busco a alguien que…
- Present simple.
- Often used for current needs or general intentions.
- Can sound a bit more neutral or general: “I’m looking for someone (in general / these days).”
Estoy buscando a alguien que…
- Present progressive.
- Emphasizes an action that is in progress right now.
- Slightly more “right-this-moment” or active.

In everyday speech, many native speakers would use either form here with almost no difference in meaning. In writing or when stating requirements (like a job ad, a roommate ad, etc.), Busco a alguien que… is very typical and sounds perfectly natural.

Can I say Busco alguien, since alguien is not a specific person?

No. Even though alguien is indefinite (“someone”), it still refers to a person, so you still need the personal a:

✅ Busco a alguien que sea puntual.
❌ Busco alguien que sea puntual. (incorrect)

The personal a depends on “person-ness”, not on whether the person is specific or known.

You omit a only when the direct object is not a person:

Busco trabajo. (job, not a person)
Busco un libro. (a book)

Could I say Busco a alguien puntual que me ayude con la mudanza? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can say:

Busco a alguien puntual que me ayude con la mudanza.

Differences in nuance:

alguien que sea puntual
- Puts the punctuality in a separate clause.
- Feels slightly more descriptive: “someone who is punctual.”
alguien puntual
- Uses puntual as a direct adjective modifying alguien.
- Feels more like an inherent or defining quality: “a punctual person.”

Both are natural here, and most speakers wouldn’t feel a strong difference in this context. Your original sentence just happens to highlight punctuality with its own que + verb structure.

How would the grammar change if I already had a specific person in mind?

If you’re talking about a specific, real person, you normally stop using the subjunctive and use the indicative instead.

With busco, it’s a bit odd to have a specific person you already know; usually you’d change the main verb as well:

Estoy buscando a María, que es puntual y que me ayuda con la mudanza.
= I’m looking for María, who is punctual and helps me with the move.
- es puntual (indicative)
- me ayuda (indicative)

Or:

Tengo a alguien que es puntual y que me ayuda con la mudanza.
= I have someone who is punctual and helps me with the move.

Notice:

unknown / hypothetical person → subjunctive
- Busco a alguien que sea puntual y que me ayude…
known / real person → indicative
- …que es puntual y que me ayuda…

Why is there no subject pronoun like yo before busco or él/ella before sea and ayude?

Spanish usually omits subject pronouns because the verb ending already tells you who the subject is:

Busco = I look for / I am looking for (the -o ending shows it’s yo).
sea and ayude here refer to él/ella (he/she), but in Spanish you don’t need to say él or ella unless you want to emphasize or clarify.

So:

Yo busco a alguien que él sea puntual… would sound strange and redundant.
The natural version is simply:
- Busco a alguien que sea puntual y que me ayude con la mudanza.

Subject pronouns (yo, tú, él, ella, nosotros, ustedes, ellos) are mainly used for emphasis or when there might be ambiguity. Here, the context is clear, so they’re dropped.

Is this sentence specifically “Latin American Spanish”? Would it be different in Spain?

The sentence:

Busco a alguien que sea puntual y que me ayude con la mudanza.

is perfectly natural in both Latin American Spanish and Peninsular (Spain) Spanish. There is nothing region-specific in the vocabulary or grammar.

Both varieties would say this the same way. Differences between regions (like vosotros vs ustedes, or certain vocabulary choices) don’t show up in this particular sentence.