ayudó
ah-yoo-DOH
Quick Reference
📝 In Action
Mi hermano me ayudó a mover los muebles ayer.
A1My brother helped me move the furniture yesterday.
Ella ayudó mucho en la organización del evento.
A2She helped a lot with the event's organization.
¿Usted ayudó a limpiar la cocina después de la cena?
A2Did you (formal) help clean the kitchen after dinner?
💡 Grammar Points
The Past Tense (Preterite)
This form 'ayudó' is used for actions that started and finished completely in the past, like a single event or a specific time.
The Accent Mark (Tilde)
The accent mark over the 'ó' is essential! It tells you this is the past tense. Without it ('ayudo'), it means 'I help' (present tense).
❌ Common Pitfalls
Confusing Past Tenses
Mistake: "Using 'ayudaba' (imperfect) when referring to a single, completed action: 'Ayer él ayudaba a su mamá.'"
Correction: Use 'ayudó' (preterite) for single, finished events: 'Ayer él ayudó a su mamá.' (Yesterday he helped his mom.)
⭐ Usage Tips
Who Did the Action?
Since Spanish often drops the subject, 'ayudó' can mean 'he helped,' 'she helped,' 'it helped,' or 'you (formal) helped.' Context usually makes it clear.
✏️ Quick Practice
💡 Quick Quiz: ayudó
Question 1 of 2
Which sentence correctly uses 'ayudó'?
📚 More Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does 'ayudó' have an accent mark?
The accent mark (tilde) on the final 'ó' is necessary to show that the stress falls on the last syllable, which is the standard pattern for the third-person singular form of the Preterite tense in '-ar' verbs. It signals that this is a past action.
Can 'ayudó' be used to talk about the future?
No. 'Ayudó' is strictly a past tense form (Preterite). To talk about the future, you would use 'ayudará' (he/she/you formal will help).