ayudarme

Ayudarme is the infinitive form of the Spanish verb ayudar with the clitic pronoun me attached, meaning "to help me." It expresses that the action of helping is directed toward the speaker. In Spanish, clitic pronouns attach to non-finite verb forms, forming a single word such as ayudarme.

Uses and examples: It occurs in clauses where another verb governs the action of helping the speaker, often with a following infinitive phrase or a subordinate clause. Examples include “¿Podrías ayudarme con este informe?” (Could you help me with this report?) and “Mi hermano quiere ayudarme a mudarme” (My brother wants to help me move). It also appears in phrases like “sin ayudarme” (without helping me) and “para ayudarme” (in order to help me). The imperative form to request help is usually “ayúdame” (with an accent), not “ayudarme,” which corresponds to the infinitive and is used in different syntactic contexts.

Orthography and morphology: The form is written as a single word: ayudarme. The pronoun me is invariant and does not change for gender or number; agreement is determined by the main verb and its subject.

Etymology: Ayudar comes from Latin adiuvare; me is the first-person singular object pronoun. The construction with attached clitics is common across Spanish verbs and is a characteristic feature of non-finite verb forms in the language.