helfen
German, verb/ˈhɛlfn̩/
helfen is a German verb meaning “to help (someone); to assist; to aid” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The German Wiktionary defines it as “(mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen…”.
What does helfen mean in English?
verb
- 1
to help (someone); to assist; to aid
Ich habe ihnen bei der Reparatur des Wagens geholfen.
Source: English Wiktionary, German section, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0).
How German dictionaries define it
verb: 1. (mit Dativ, seltener mit Akkusativ) jemandem das Tun einer Sache durch Übernehmen bestimmter Teile oder einen Ratschlag ermöglichen oder erleichtern 2. wirken, wirksam sein
The definition in the German Wiktionary, in German.
Source: German Wiktionary, dump of September 1, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org.
Forms of helfen
- hilft present singular third-person
- half past
- geholfen participle past
- hülfe past subjunctive
- haben auxiliary
- 3 strong
- helfend participle present
- helfe first-person indicative present
- hilfst indicative present second-person
- helft indicative plural present
- helfest second-person singular subjunctive
- helfet plural second-person subjunctive
- halfen first-person indicative plural
- hülfen first-person formal plural
- halfst indicative preterite second-person
- halft indicative plural preterite
- hülfest formal rare second-person
- hülfst formal rare second-person
Source: English Wiktionary and German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026).
How do you pronounce helfen?
- /ˈhɛlfn̩/
- [ˈhɛlfn̩]
Sources: English Wiktionary, German Wiktionary (dumps of September 2, 2026 and September 1, 2026); recordings from Wikimedia Commons.
English words that translate to helfen
Source: the translation tables of the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026.
How common is helfen in German?
helfen appears 151 times per million words in written German.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).