Quiero ayudar al profesor.

I

Breakdown of Quiero ayudar al profesor.

• querer: to want
• el profesor: the teacher
• ayudar: to help
• al: to the

Questions & Answers about Quiero ayudar al profesor.

Why do we say al profesor and not a el profesor?

In Spanish, when the preposition a (meaning “to”) is followed by the masculine article el, they contract into al. So a + el becomes al. That’s why you never see a el profesor, but always al profesor.

Do I need to include the subject pronoun yo at the beginning of the sentence?

It’s not necessary in Spanish because the verb ending (-o in quiero) already indicates the subject is the speaker (I). You can say Yo quiero ayudar al profesor, but most Spanish speakers just say Quiero ayudar al profesor.

Why is it quiero instead of quieres or quiere?

Quiero is the first-person singular (I) form of querer (to want).
• Quiero: I want
• Quieres: you (informal) want
• Quiere: he/she/you (formal) want(s)

How would this sentence change if the teacher is female?

You would change profesor (masculine) to profesora (feminine) and keep the contraction if applicable.
So it becomes Quiero ayudar a la profesora. Notice that with “la” instead of “el,” there is no contraction.

Is there a difference between Quiero ayudar and Quiero ayudarle?

Both can be correct in Spanish. Quiero ayudarle explicitly includes the indirect object pronoun le (to him/to her). However, in many situations, Quiero ayudar al profesor conveys the meaning clearly without adding le. The usage of le can depend on regional preference or style; in Spain, people might add or omit it, but the meaning is essentially the same.