help – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of help

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to help
Participle: helped
Gerund: helping

Cognates

See the 8 cognates of help

Indicative

Present

Ihelp
youhelp
he;she;ithelps
wehelp
youhelp
theyhelp

Perfect

Ihave helped; holp; holpen
youhave helped; holp; holpen
he;she;ithas helped; holp; holpen
wehave helped; holp; holpen
youhave helped; holp; holpen
theyhave helped; holp; holpen

Past

Ihelped
youhelped
he;she;ithelped
wehelped
youhelped
theyhelped

Pluperfect

Ihad helped; holp; holpen
youhad helped; holp; holpen
he;she;ithad helped; holp; holpen
wehad helped; holp; holpen
youhad helped; holp; holpen
theyhad helped; holp; holpen

Future

Iwill help
youwill help
he;she;itwill help
wewill help
youwill help
theywill help

Future Perfect

Iwill have helped; holp; holpen
youwill have helped; holp; holpen
he;she;itwill have helped; holp; holpen
wewill have helped; holp; holpen
youwill have helped; holp; holpen
theywill have helped; holp; holpen

Subjunctive

Present

Ihelp
youhelp
he;she;ithelp
wehelp
youhelp
theyhelp

Perfect

Ihave helped; holp; holpen
youhave helped; holp; holpen
he;she;ithave helped; holp; holpen
wehave helped; holp; holpen
youhave helped; holp; holpen
theyhave helped; holp; holpen

Imperfect

Ihelped
youhelped
he;she;ithelped
wehelped
youhelped
theyhelped

Pluperfect

Ihad helped; holp; holpen
youhad helped; holp; holpen
he;she;ithad helped; holp; holpen
wehad helped; holp; holpen
youhad helped; holp; holpen
theyhad helped; holp; holpen

Conditional

Present

Iwould help
youwould help
he;she;itwould help
wewould help
youwould help
theywould help

Perfect

Iwould have helped; holp; holpen
youwould have helped; holp; holpen
he;she;itwould have helped; holp; holpen
wewould have helped; holp; holpen
youwould have helped; holp; holpen
theywould have helped; holp; holpen

Imperative

youhelp
weLet's help
youhelp

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

Iam helping
youare helping
he;she;itis helping
weare helping
youare helping
theyare helping

Perfect

Ihave been helping
youhave been helping
he;she;ithas been helping
wehave been helping
youhave been helping
theyhave been helping

Past

Iwas helping
youwere helping
he;she;itwas helping
wewere helping
youwere helping
theywere helping

Pluperfect

Ihad been helping
youhad been helping
he;she;ithad been helping
wehad been helping
youhad been helping
theyhad been helping

Future

Iwill be helping
youwill be helping
he;she;itwill be helping
wewill be helping
youwill be helping
theywill be helping

Future Perfect

Iwill have been helping
youwill have been helping
he;she;itwill have been helping
wewill have been helping
youwill have been helping
theywill have been helping

Conditional

Present

Iwould be helping
youwould be helping
he;she;itwould be helping
wewould be helping
youwould be helping
theywould be helping

Perfect

Iwould have been helping
youwould have been helping
he;she;itwould have been helping
wewould have been helping
youwould have been helping
theywould have been helping

Other

Verbs conjugated like 'help'

abandon, abduct, abear, aberr, abject, abord, abort, abound, abraid, abray, abrook, abscind, abscond, absist, absorb, abstain, abstract, accend, accent, accept, etc. (List truncated at 20 verbs)

Verbs similar to 'help'

chelp, halp, heap, hele, hell, helm, helpe, hep, whelp, yelp,

Synonyms & Antonyms

Synonyms

provide assistance
assist
help or assist
grip
to provide assistance to someone or something
abet, aid, assist, befriend, bestead, come to someone's aid, give someone a hand, grip, help out, lend a hand, lend a helping hand, mend, relieve, stead, succor, succour, support, sustain
to provide assistance
assist, chip in, help out, muck in, pitch in
aid
abet, assist, support, uphold, back, befriend, encourage, cooperate
ease
foster, further, promote, facilitate
relieve
alleviate, cure, heal, improve, remedy, restore, better, correct
avoid
forbear

Antonyms

to make difficult to accomplish; to frustrate, act as obstacle
abet, assist, expedite, facilitate, further, hurdle, nurture, hinder
to provide assistance to someone or something
hinder, hurt
to have a contrary or opposing effect or force on
abet, assist, reinforce, support, sustain, counteract
aid
hinder, impede, obstruct, thwart
ease
uneasiness, turmoil, unrest, effort
avoid
face, meet, confront, encounter

Additional Information

Etymology

1. O.E. helpan (class III strong verb; past tense healp, pp. holpen), from P.Gmc. *khelpanan (cf. O.N. hjalpa, O.Fris. helpa, Du. helpen, Ger. helfen), from PIE base *kelb-/*kelp- "to help" (cf. Lith. selpiu "to support, help"). Sense of "serve someone with foot at table" (1688) is translated from Fr. servir "to help, stead, avail," and led to helping "portion of food" (1824). Use of help as euphemism for "servant" is Amer.Eng., 1645, tied up in notions of class and race.
"A domestic servant of American birth, and without negro blood in his or her veins ... is not a servant, but a 'help.' 'Help wanted,' is the common heading of advertisements in the North, when servants are required." [Chas. Mackay, "Life and Liberty in America," 1859].
The M.E. pp. holpen survives in biblical and U.S. dial. use.
2. From Middle English helpen, from Old English helpan (“to help, aid, assist, benefit, relieve, cure”), from Proto-West Germanic *helpan, Proto-Germanic *helpaną (“to help”), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱelb-, *ḱelp- (“to help”).
3. Cognate with North Frisian halep, heelpe, help (“to help”), Saterland Frisian hälpe (“to help”), West Frisian helpe (“to help”), Cimbrian hölfan (“to help”), Dutch helpen (“to help”), German helfen (“to help”), Low German helpen, hölpen, hülpen (“to help”), Luxembourgish hëllefen (“to help”), Yiddish העלפֿן (helfn, “to help”), Danish hjælpe (“to help”), Faroese and Icelandic hjálpa (“to help”), Norwegian Bokmål hjelpe (“to help”), Norwegian Nynorsk hjelpa, hjelpe (“to help”), Swedish hjälpa (“to help”), Gothic 𐌷𐌹𐌻𐍀𐌰𐌽 (hilpan, “to help”), Lithuanian šelpti (“to help, support”). See: Middle English 'helpen', Old English 'helpan', Proto-Germanic '*helpaną', Frisian, Saterlandic 'hälpe', Cimbrian 'hölfan', Dutch 'helpen', German, old spelling 'helfen', Low Saxon 'helpen', Luxembourgish 'hëllefen', Danish 'hjælpe', Norwegian 'hjelpe', Norwegian, nynorsk 'hjelpa', Swedish 'hjälpa'.

Verbs referencing "help"

German, old spelling helfen, Ido helpar, Esperanto helpi, Finnish with old forms kelvata, Sranan yepi, Danish hjælpe, Luxembourgish hëllefen, Norwegian, nynorsk hjelpa, Low Saxon hölpen, Cimbrian hölfan.

Sample Sentences

  • There was something so piquant and original in these elucidations of humanity, that Mr. Shelby could not help laughing in company. Perhaps you laugh too, dear reader; but you know humanity comes out in a variety of strange forms now-a-days, and there is no end to the odd things that humane people will say [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ Give way, George; go with him for the present. We'll try to help you, yet. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • It is a great and pleasant feature of all such institutions in America, that they are either supported by the State or assisted by the State; or (in the event of their not needing its helping hand ) that they act in concert with it, and are emphatically the people 's. I cannot but think, with a view to the principle and its tendency to elevate or depress the character of the industrious [...] (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] teapot, and expires next day. Then it turns out, that the whole of the real and personal estate is divided between half-a-dozen charities; and that the dead and gone testator has in pure spite helped to do a great deal of good, at the cost of an immense amount of evil passion and misery. (American Notes for General Circulation)
  • [...] ” said he, straightening himself up; “ and when I 'm there, I'll buy you; that's all the hope that's left us. You have a kind master, that won't refuse to sell you. I'll buy you and the boy; — God helping me, I will ! ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] thought it would aggravate ’ Shelby's folks, ’ as he calls ’ em. I 'm going home quite resigned, you understand, as if all was over. I 've got some preparations made,—and there are those that will help me; and, in the course of a week or so, I shall be among the missing, some day. Pray for me, Eliza; perhaps the good Lord will hear _you_. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ I know it,—I dare say; — but what's the use of all this ? — I can't help myself. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • [...] feel so about it,—indeed I am, ” said Mr. Shelby; “ and I respect your feelings, too, though I don't pretend to share them to their full extent; but I tell you now, solemnly, it's of no use—I can't help myself. I didn't mean to tell you this Emily; but, in plain words, there is no choice between selling these two and selling everything. Either they must go, or _all_ must. Haley has come into [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ I don't want to hear such sermons; I never wish to hear Mr. B. in our church again. Ministers can't help the evil, perhaps,—can't cure it, any more than we can,—but defend it ! — it always went against my common sense. And I think you didn't think much of that sermon, either. ” (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • “ No, no, ” said Mrs. Shelby; “ I'll be in no sense accomplice or help in this cruel business. I'll go and see poor old Tom, God help him, in his distress ! They shall see, at any rate, that their mistress can feel for and with them. As to Eliza, I dare not think about it. The Lord forgive us ! What have we done, that this cruel [...] (Uncle Tom’s Cabin)
  • That's the point. So, I might as well fake it too. Miss Italia is helping me to be something. (Miss Italy Must Not Die)
  • [ Tommy ] I'll tell you where he goes. Back to the community centre with me, and he helps me clean out those drains. (I Swear)
  • ♪ And maybe Jesus as well ♪ ♪ For helping me turn my shed into a kitty cat hotel ♪ (Standing on the Shoulders of Kitties)