Aider is the most common way to say "to help" in French. But just like in English, there are many other options that can add nuance and precision to your conversations.

Whether you're offering assistance, describing a helping hand, or simply trying to express support, knowing a variety of ways to say "to help" will make your French sound much more natural and sophisticated.

Let’s explore some common (and some less common) ways to express "to help" in French, giving you the perfect phrase for every situation!

The standard 'to help' – aider

The standard “to help” – aider

Aider is the most common and versatile verb for “to help” in French. It’s a regular -ER verb, making its conjugations straightforward once you know the pattern.

When aider means “to help someone” or “to help something,” it takes a direct object. This means the person or thing being helped directly receives the action of the verb.

To express “to help someone to do something,” aider is followed by the preposition à and then an infinitive verb. This construction is crucial for specifying the task for which help is being given.

The reflexive form, s'aider, can mean “to help oneself” (e.g., Il s'aide avec un dictionnaire - He helps himself with a dictionary) or “to help each other” (e.g., Nous nous aidons - We help each other). The context usually clarifies the meaning.

There are several common expressions using aider. Perhaps the most well-known is the proverb Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera (Help yourself, and Heaven will help you). You can also hear À l'aide ! (Help!) as an exclamation when someone needs assistance.

Aider is suitable for almost any situation, from formal requests to informal pleas. It’s the go-to verb for expressing assistance, support, or aid in French, making it an essential part of your vocabulary.

While aider is general, rendre service (to do a favor, to render a service) is a related phrase often used when the help involves a specific, often smaller, act of kindness or assistance. However, aider remains the broader and more frequently used term.

💡 * Je peux t'aider à porter tes sacs?

Elle aide sa sœur avec ses devoirs.

Nous nous aidons mutuellement à apprendre le français.

À l'aide ! Je suis perdu !

Il a aidé le vieil homme à traverser la rue.

The 'to do a favor' or 'to render a service' – rendre service à

The “to do a favor” or “to render a service” – rendre service à

When you want to express the idea of “doing someone a favor” or “rendering a service” in French, the most common and direct phrase is rendre service à.

This essential phrase uses the verb rendre (to give back, to return) followed by the noun service and the preposition à before the person to whom the favor is being done. For example, rendre service à quelqu'un means 'to do someone a favor'.

You'll hear rendre service à used frequently in everyday conversation, both when you are offering help and when you are politely asking for it. It clearly conveys the act of providing assistance or a kindness.

The phrase inherently carries a polite connotation, making it ideal for making requests. For instance, a very common and courteous way to ask for help is 'Pourriez-vous me rendre un service?' (Could you do me a favor?).

While rendre means 'to give back,' in this context, it signifies the act of providing a beneficial action. The 'service' is the direct object, and the person is the indirect object, making the structure clear and unambiguous.

💡 * Peux-tu me rendre un service? (Can you do me a favor?)

Je lui ai rendu un grand service hier. (I did him a great favor yesterday.)

Il n'aime pas rendre service aux autres. (He doesn't like doing favors for others.)

Nous sommes là pour vous rendre service si besoin. (We are here to help you/render you a service if needed.)

Merci de m'avoir rendu ce service. (Thank you for doing me this favor.)

The 'to assist' or 'to support' – assister

The French verb assister can be a bit tricky for English speakers because it's a false cognate. While it looks and sounds like "to assist," its most common meaning is actually "to attend" or "to be present at."

Most frequently, when you see assister, especially with the preposition à, it means "to attend" or "to be present at" an event, a meeting, a concert, or a class. Think of it as being a spectator or a participant in an event.

Less commonly, but still correctly, assister can indeed mean "to assist" or "to help," particularly when referring to providing support to a person or in a more formal/technical context (e.g., assisting a doctor in surgery, assisting a client). In this sense, it can sometimes take a direct object (a person) or be followed by à + an infinitive.

Assister is a regular -er verb, meaning its conjugations follow the standard pattern for verbs ending in -er. For example, j'assiste (I attend/assist), tu assistes (you attend/assist), il/elle assiste (he/she attends/assists).

It's important to distinguish assister from aider. While both can relate to "helping," aider is the general verb for "to help" or "to give aid." Assister, when it means "to help," implies a more specific role of being present to support or formally contributing to a task, rather than just providing general assistance.

💡 * J'assiste à un concert ce soir. (I'm attending a concert tonight.)

Elle assiste à toutes les réunions. (She attends all the meetings.)

Le médecin a assisté le chirurgien pendant l'opération. (The doctor assisted the surgeon during the operation.)

Je vais assister mes parents pour déménager. (I'm going to help my parents move.)

Assistes-tu à la conférence ? (Are you attending the conference?)

The 'to rescue' or 'to come to someone's aid' – secourir

The French verb secourir means 'to rescue,' 'to help,' or 'to come to someone's aid.' It implies providing immediate and crucial assistance, often in situations of danger or distress.

Unlike general 'to help' verbs like aider, secourir carries a stronger sense of urgency and necessity. It is used when someone is in peril or requires urgent intervention to avoid harm or alleviate severe difficulty.

Secourir is an irregular verb, following the conjugation pattern of verbs like courir and mourir. Its past participle is secouru. The related noun, le secours, means 'aid' or 'relief,' and les secours (plural) often refers to emergency services.

💡 *Il a secouru la victime de l'accident. (He rescued the accident victim.)
*Les pompiers sont venus secourir les personnes bloquées. (The firefighters came to rescue the trapped people.)
*Nous devons secourir les animaux en détresse. (We must rescue animals in distress.)
*Elle est toujours prête à secourir ses amis. (She is always ready to come to her friends' aid.)

The 'to support' or 'to sustain' – soutenir

The verb soutenir is a versatile French verb that primarily means 'to support' or 'to sustain.' Its usage extends across various contexts, from the physical to the abstract.

In its most literal sense, soutenir refers to physical support – holding something up to prevent it from falling or collapsing. Think of supporting a structure or helping someone stand.

Beyond the physical, soutenir is frequently used to express moral or emotional support. This means offering encouragement, comfort, or solidarity to someone facing a challenge.

It can also mean to uphold, to sustain, or to defend something, such as an idea, an argument, a cause, or even a belief. This implies maintaining its existence or validity.

Soutenir is an irregular -ir verb and is conjugated similarly to tenir (to hold). Learners should pay close attention to its specific stem changes in different tenses.

💡 * Je te soutiens dans cette épreuve. (I support you through this ordeal.)

Il faut soutenir le toit pour qu'il ne s'effondre pas. (We must support the roof so it doesn't collapse.)

Elle soutient une thèse intéressante. (She is defending an interesting thesis.)

Les fondations doivent soutenir le poids du bâtiment. (The foundations must support the weight of the building.)

Nous soutenons activement cette association. (We actively support this association.)

The 'to relieve' or 'to ease' – soulager

The French verb soulager directly translates to “to relieve” or “to ease.” It’s a versatile verb used in many contexts, from physical discomfort to emotional burdens and even practical tasks.

Most commonly, soulager refers to alleviating physical pain, symptoms, or discomfort. You’ll hear it used with medicines, treatments, or actions that bring physical ease. Think of phrases like soulager la douleur (to relieve pain) or soulager une démangeaison (to ease an itch).

Soulager also applies to emotional and mental states. It can mean to lighten a burden of stress, worry, anxiety, or sadness. For instance, soulager le stress (to relieve stress) or soulager son cœur (to ease one's heart/mind) are common expressions.

Beyond personal feelings, soulager can describe the act of freeing someone from a difficult task, a responsibility, or a heavy load. You might say soulager quelqu’un d’une tâche (to relieve someone of a task) or soulager un fardeau (to lighten a burden).

The reflexive form, se soulager, means “to relieve oneself.” While it can sometimes refer euphemistically to bodily functions, it more broadly implies finding personal relief, often by expressing feelings or taking action to alleviate one's own discomfort or stress.

💡 * Ce médicament soulage la douleur rapidement. (This medicine relieves pain quickly.)

J'ai besoin de parler pour soulager ma conscience. (I need to talk to ease my conscience.)

Ses paroles ont soulagé mon anxiété. (His words eased my anxiety.)

Nous devons soulager les victimes de la catastrophe. (We must relieve the victims of the disaster.)

Elle a pu se soulager de son fardeau en partageant ses problèmes. (She was able to relieve herself of her burden by sharing her problems.)

The 'to help out of a difficulty' or 'to fix' – dépanner

The verb dépanner is incredibly versatile in French, primarily meaning 'to help out of a difficulty,' 'to troubleshoot,' or 'to fix.' It implies assisting someone or something when they are in a bind or experiencing a malfunction.

You'll frequently hear dépanner used in contexts related to mechanical or technical issues, such as a broken car, a faulty computer, or a malfunctioning appliance. However, it also extends to helping a person out of a tricky situation, like lending money or providing temporary assistance.

While réparer (to repair) focuses purely on fixing an object, dépanner carries the added nuance of providing a solution or assistance in a difficult moment. It can be used transitively (e.g., dépanner une voiture) or with an indirect object (e.g., dépanner quelqu'un).

💡 * Mon voisin m'a dépanné quand ma voiture est tombée en panne. (My neighbor helped me out when my car broke down.)

Peux-tu me dépanner avec mon ordinateur ? Il ne démarre plus. (Can you help me with my computer? It won't start anymore.)

J'ai besoin de dépanner ma sœur, elle a oublié son portefeuille. (I need to help my sister out, she forgot her wallet.)

Le garagiste a réussi à dépanner le moteur en une heure. (The mechanic managed to fix the engine in an hour.)

Merci de m'avoir dépanné avec le dîner hier soir ! (Thanks for helping me out with dinner last night!)

The 'to bring one's help' or 'to offer help' – apporter son aide

The phrase apporter son aide literally translates to “to bring one's help” or “to offer help.” It signifies the act of providing assistance or support to someone or for a task.

This expression is used when someone actively provides or offers their assistance. It conveys a sense of direct action and willingness to contribute, often in a tangible way.

Apporter son aide is typically followed by the preposition à when specifying the recipient of the help, as in apporter son aide à quelqu'un (to offer one's help to someone). The possessive adjective (son, sa, ses, mon, ma, mes, etc.) changes according to the subject.

It's a common and polite way to express readiness to help, suitable in various contexts from formal to everyday situations. It emphasizes a proactive stance in offering support.

💡 * J'aimerais apporter mon aide pour ce projet. (I would like to offer my help for this project.)

Ils ont apporté leur aide aux victimes de l'inondation. (They brought their help to the flood victims.)

Pouvez-vous apporter votre aide à la cuisine? (Can you offer your help in the kitchen?)

Elle n'hésite jamais à apporter son aide quand c'est nécessaire. (She never hesitates to offer her help when it's needed.)

The 'to lend a hand' or 'to give a helping hand' – prêter main forte

In French, the common idiom for 'to lend a hand' or 'to give a helping hand' is prêter main forte. This phrase literally translates to 'to lend a strong hand' or 'to lend a firm hand'.

While the literal translation might sound a bit formal, the idiom prêter main forte is widely used to express the act of providing assistance or support, often in a situation that requires a significant effort or where someone is struggling. It implies offering substantial help, not just a small favor.

The verb prêter (to lend) conjugates normally. The phrase typically appears with the preposition à (to) when specifying who receives the help. For example, 'prêter main forte à quelqu'un' means 'to lend a hand to someone'. It's a common and generally accepted expression across various levels of formality, though perhaps more common in slightly formal or serious contexts than in very casual slang.

While prêter main forte implies significant help, other phrases like aider (to help) or donner un coup de main (to give a hand – often for smaller tasks) are also used. However, prêter main forte specifically conveys robust support.

💡 *Il est venu me prêter main forte pour déménager. (He came to lend me a hand with moving.)
*Les voisins ont prêté main forte aux sinistrés. (The neighbors lent a hand to the disaster victims.)
*Pouvez-vous prêter main forte à votre sœur pour ses devoirs? (Can you lend a hand to your sister with her homework?)
*Nous devrons tous prêter main forte pour terminer ce projet à temps. (We will all have to lend a hand to finish this project on time.)
*Le gouvernement a promis de prêter main forte aux entreprises en difficulté. (The government promised to lend a hand to struggling businesses.)

Are there other ways to say 'to help' in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say 'to help' in French. But there are other terms, from old-fashioned ones, to regional ones, to up-and-coming slang ones this middle-aged author might not even be aware of!

You can also do an online search for 'comment dire aider en ___' followed by a specific Francophone country or region.

You might find some interesting synonyms for aider on this list. Of course, make sure to check a word’s definition and try to see it used in context before you use it.

Pay attention as you read, watch, and listen to things in French — you may discover different ways to talk about helping.

And if you’re looking for ways to talk about different kinds of help, or words about assistance in French, the WordReference entry for aider is a great place to start!

I hope you found this article helpful. Here’s what I think is the perfect quote to finish it with, courtesy of a common French proverb: Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera. (Help yourself, and Heaven will help you.)

9 ways to say "to help" in French