ayudálo

Ayudálo is a Spanish imperative phrase that combines the verb ayudar in the tú command with the direct object pronoun lo, yielding a directive meaning “help him” or “help it.” The canonical spelling in standard Spanish is ayúdalo, with an acute accent on la sílaba ú to mark the correct stress; ayudálo (accent on a) would be considered a nonstandard or misspelled form in most varieties.

Grammatically, ayuda is the affirmative tú imperative of ayudar. When attached to a pronoun, the resulting form is ayúdalo to refer to a masculine singular person or object. In dialects that prefer leísmo or alternate pronouns, you may hear ayúdale, which uses le as an indirect object pronoun, though ayúdalo remains the more typical construction for direct objects.

Usage and examples: Ayudálo can be used in everyday conversation to urge someone to provide assistance to a male person or a masculine noun. For example, "¿Puedes ayudarlo con la carga? — Ayúdalo." The phrase can also appear as part of longer sentences, such as "Ayúdalo a cruzar la calle" (Help him cross the street).

In negative form, the command changes to no lo ayudes. The phrase is common in family, workplace, and community contexts, and can appear in signage or informal prompts encouraging assistance.

See also: Spanish imperative mood, direct object pronouns in Spanish, leísmo variants.