Learn Spanish (Latin America): El niño ayuda a su abuela.

El niño ayuda a su abuela.

The boy helps his grandmother.

Breakdown of El niño ayuda a su abuela.

his/her/its/their/your (formal)

ayudar

to help

Questions & Answers about El niño ayuda a su abuela.

Why is there an a before su abuela?

In Spanish, when the direct object of a verb is a person or a beloved pet, you must put the word a before it. This is called the personal a. Even though we just say helps his grandmother in English, Spanish requires ayuda a su abuela.

Does su always mean his?

No, su can mean his, her, your (formal), their, or its. You have to figure it out from the context of the sentence. Here, because we are talking about el niño (the boy), su abuela means his grandmother.

Is ayuda a verb or a noun in this sentence?

It is a verb here. Ayuda is the he, she, or it form of the verb ayudar (to help). It can also be a noun meaning help or assistance, but in this sentence, it is the action the boy is doing.

If the boy was helping two grandmothers, would su change?

Yes! Possessive words like su must match the number of the people or things being owned, not the owner. If he was helping multiple grandmothers, it would be sus abuelas. Since there is only one grandmother, it is su abuela.