La compañía de mis amigas me ayuda a no ponerme nerviosa antes del examen.

In this sentence, la compañía de mis amigas means the company / companionship of my friends — in other words, being with my friends.

Spanish compañía can mean:

• company/companionship = being with someone
• company = a business, depending on context

Here, because it is followed by de mis amigas, it clearly means the presence or companionship of my friends, not a corporation.

Both are possible, but they focus on slightly different things.

• La compañía de mis amigas me ayuda... = My friends’ company / being with my friends helps me...
• Mis amigas me ayudan... = My friends help me...

The original sentence emphasizes their presence rather than direct action. It is the fact of being with them that helps.

Here de shows a relationship similar to of in English:

• la compañía de mis amigas = the company of my friends

This structure is very common in Spanish:

• el coche de mi hermano = my brother’s car
• la casa de Ana = Ana’s house

So instead of using an apostrophe like English my friends’ company, Spanish usually uses de.

Because ayudar often uses this pattern:

• ayudar a alguien a hacer algo = to help someone do something

So:

• me ayuda = it helps me
• a no ponerme nerviosa = not to get nervous

Together:

• me ayuda a no ponerme nerviosa = it helps me not get nervous

That extra a before the infinitive is part of the normal structure after ayudar.

That me means to me and shows who is being helped.

• La compañía de mis amigas me ayuda = My friends’ company helps me

Compare:

• me ayuda = helps me
• te ayuda = helps you
• nos ayuda = helps us

So me is the object pronoun linked to ayuda.

Because ponerse nervioso/a is a reflexive expression meaning to get nervous.

So the sentence has two different me’s:

• me ayuda → helps me
• ponerme nerviosa → for me to get nervous

They do different jobs:

1. the first me is the object of ayuda
2. the second me belongs to ponerse

This kind of repetition is completely normal in Spanish.

Because ponerse nervioso/a means to become / to get nervous, while estar nervioso/a means to be nervous.

So:

• estar nerviosa = to be in a nervous state
• ponerme nerviosa = to become nervous

In this sentence, the idea is that before the exam, being with her friends helps her not get nervous, so ponerse is the natural choice.

Because the adjective agrees with the person who gets nervous.

• ponerme nerviosa suggests the speaker is female
• A male speaker would usually say ponerme nervioso

Agreement matters with adjectives in Spanish:

• Estoy cansado / cansada
• Me pongo nervioso / nerviosa

So nerviosa tells us something about the speaker.

In Spanish, when you negate an infinitive idea, no normally goes right before the infinitive:

• a no ponerme nerviosa = not to get nervous

Compare:

• Intento no hablar = I try not to speak
• Necesito no llegar tarde = I need not to arrive late

So no ponerme is the standard way to say not to get myself / not to become.

Because de + el contracts to del.

So:

• antes de el examen → antes del examen

This contraction is required in normal Spanish.

The two main contractions are:

• a + el = al
• de + el = del

So antes del examen means before the exam.

Spanish often uses the definite article where English may or may not use one.

Here:

• antes del examen = before the exam

This sounds natural when talking about a specific exam already understood in context.

In many cases, Spanish prefers the article with nouns like this, especially when referring to a known event or thing.

Yes, but the meaning changes slightly.

• antes del examen = before the exam → a specific exam
• antes de un examen = before an exam → any exam / one exam, not specifically identified

The original sentence sounds like the speaker has a particular exam in mind.

Because amigas refers to female friends.

• amigas = female friends
• amigos = male friends, or a mixed group
• amigAs specifically tells you the group is female

So mis amigas means my female friends.

The original word order is the most natural, but Spanish allows some flexibility.

Standard version:

• La compañía de mis amigas me ayuda a no ponerme nerviosa antes del examen.

Other possible versions for emphasis might be:

• Antes del examen, la compañía de mis amigas me ayuda a no ponerme nerviosa.

The meaning stays the same, but the original order is neutral and very natural.

Yes, it is natural, though it sounds a bit more thoughtful or slightly formal than some alternatives.

Other natural options could be:

• Estar con mis amigas me ayuda a no ponerme nerviosa antes del examen.
• La compañía de mis amigas me tranquiliza antes del examen.

The original sentence is perfectly correct and natural; it simply emphasizes their company as the thing that helps.