Questions & Answers about Siempre me echa una mano.
Since this lesson is about echar a + infinitive, why isn't there an a or an infinitive here?
This sentence actually doesn't use the sudden action structure (echar a + infinitive) from this lesson. Instead, it uses echar in a very common idiom: echar una mano (to lend a hand). Echar is one of the most versatile verbs in Spanish and has dozens of uses!
Does echar literally mean "to lend" here?
Not literally. Echar normally means "to throw," "to toss," or "to cast." So the literal translation is closer to "He always throws me a hand." But idiomatically, it means exactly the same thing as the English phrase "to lend a hand."
Is it just as common to say dar una mano?
Why does this sentence use una instead of la, since Spanish usually uses definite articles for body parts?
You're right that Spanish normally uses the definite article for body parts (for example, me lavo las manos for "I wash my hands"). However, echar una mano is a fixed idiom. Just like in English, you are offering "a" hand to help, not referring to a specific physical part of your own body that is acting or hurting.
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