Regular verb
The verb to help
help → helped → helped
A2Meaning: to do something useful for someone · Type: regular · Frequency: Top 50 English verbs
Key points to remember
- Present Simple:
help / helps - Past Simple:
helped(regular) - Past participle:
helped - -ing form:
helping
Conjugation of the verb to help
Present Simple
| I | help |
| You | help |
| He / She / It | helps |
| We | help |
| You (pl.) | help |
| They | help |
Past Simple
| I | helped |
| You | helped |
| He / She / It | helped |
| We | helped |
| You (pl.) | helped |
| They | helped |
All the forms of the verb to help
Present Simple
Full pagehelp / helps
“I help my mum.”
See the pagePresent Continuous
Full pageam / is / are helping
“I am helping the teacher right now.”
See the pagePast Simple
Full pagehelped
“She helped me yesterday.”
See the pagePast Continuous
Full pagewas / were helping
“I was helping the teacher when the phone rang.”
See the pagePresent Perfect
Full pagehave / has helped
“I have already helped the teacher.”
See the pagePast Perfect
Full pagehad helped
“She had already helped the teacher when I arrived.”
See the pageFuture Simple
Full pagewill help
“I will help the teacher tomorrow.”
See the pageGoing to Future
Full pageam / is / are going to help
“I'm going to help the teacher this weekend.”
See the pageConditional (would)
Full pagewould help
“I would help the teacher if I had time.”
See the pageHow to use to help
1. Helping someone
- I help my mum.
2. Help yourself
Help yourself! means take what you want (food or drinks).
- Help yourself!
3. Can't help it
I can't help it means I can't stop myself.
- I can't help it.
A common mistake
1. Help you! to offer food ❌
When you offer food or drinks, say Help yourself! It means take what you want: Help yourself to a sandwich!
Going further
Conjugating to help is a key skill in the English contest
Every year, the Big Challenge tests the key English verbs. Register your students so they can check their level in a real contest.
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Practise on PLAYYou can conjugate to help. Now say it out loud.
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Related pages: help
Pages on a similar topic or with a similar use, so you can keep exploring.
Frequently asked questions
What is the past simple of help?+
The Past Simple of help is helped. It is a regular verb: help + -ed. The past participle is also helped.
What does help yourself mean?+
Help yourself means take what you want. People say it when they offer food or drinks: Help yourself to some juice!
What does I can't help it mean?+
I can't help it is an idiom. It means I can't stop myself. I love chocolate, I can't help it!
Is it help me to do or help me do?+
Both are correct: Help me to clean the kitchen and Help me clean the kitchen. The form without to is more common, especially in American English.
What is the difference between helpful and helpless?+
Helpful means useful, or happy to help: a helpful friend. Helpless means not able to help or defend yourself: a helpless baby. Helping means giving help: a helping hand. They are three different words.
Updated on 12 November 2026 by the Big Challenge teaching team. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999. Our teaching approach →
The Big Challenge · Updated on 12 November 2026 · Source: www.thebigchallenge.com/bl/academy/learn-english/verbs/help
© The Big Challenge. Copying allowed for classroom use. Every year, more than 500,000 students across Europe take part in our English contest, created in 1999.