help – English verb conjugation

English verb forms of help

Nominal Forms

Infinitive: to help out
Participle: helped out
Gerund: helping out

Cognates

See the 8 cognates of help

Indicative

Present

Ihelp out
youhelp out
he;she;ithelps out
wehelp out
youhelp out
theyhelp out

Perfect

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

Past

Ihelped out
youhelped out
he;she;ithelped out
wehelped out
youhelped out
theyhelped out

Pluperfect

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

Future

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

Future Perfect

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

Subjunctive

Present

Ihelp out
youhelp out
he;she;ithelp out
wehelp out
youhelp out
theyhelp out

Perfect

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

Imperfect

Ihelped out
youhelped out
he;she;ithelped out
wehelped out
youhelped out
theyhelped out

Pluperfect

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

Conditional

Present

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

Perfect

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

Imperative

youhelp out
weLet's help out
youhelp out

Progressive (Continuous) Forms

Indicative

Present

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

Perfect

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

Past

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

Pluperfect

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

Future

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

Future Perfect

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

Conditional

Present

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

Perfect

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

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)