noun
help, assistance
A1
Hilfe means 'help' or 'assistance' and is a feminine noun (die Hilfe). Plural: Hilfen. Declensions follow standard patterns (singular die Hilfe, plural die Hilfen). Common collocation: 'um Hilfe bitten' (to ask for help) uses the preposition 'um' with accusative. Used both countably and uncountably in German.
VOCABULARY.DETAILS.EXAMPLES
Ich brauche Hilfe.
I need help.
Kannst du mir bitte Hilfe geben?
Can you please give me some help?
Nachdem die ältere Frau um Hilfe rief, kamen die Nachbarn schnell, sodass sie sicher ins Haus gebracht wurde.
After the elderly woman called for help, the neighbors came quickly so that she was brought safely into the house.
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VOCABULARY.DETAILS.MNEMONICS
Picture a helping hand reaching down to lift someone up; that image = Hilfe.
Sounds like 'hill-fee' — imagine a helpful fairy on a hill handing out help.
Die Hilfe — many German feminine nouns end in -e, so 'die' for Hilfe (think: 'die ends with e').
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Common collocations: um Hilfe bitten, Hilfe leisten, erste Hilfe. 'Hilfe' is unmarked for gender (feminine) and often used in fixed expressions. It can refer to practical help, professional assistance, or emergency aid depending on context.