Doing something for someone with 帮 (bang)

Use the benefactive coverb before a person to say an action is done for or on behalf of them.

beginnerA1 · TOCFL a1preposition coverbfunction word

Pattern

Subject + 帮 + person + action

Key words

Core idea

can introduce the person who benefits from an action. The pattern means doing something for someone or on someone’s behalf.

The helper comes first, then plus the person helped, then the action.

Usage boundary

This use of is close to “for” in English, but it still has a helping flavor. It works best when one person performs an action that benefits another person.

For direct “help someone do something,” the same word can also be a full verb, but this beginner pattern focuses on the coverb use before another action.

Examples

我帮你买票。

Wǒ bāng nǐ mǎi piào.

I will buy the ticket for you.

老师帮学生写名字。

Lǎoshī bāng xuéshēng xiě míngzi.

The teacher writes the name for the student.

请帮我开门。

Qǐng bāng wǒ kāi mén.

Please open the door for me.

Common mistakes

Avoid

我买帮你票。

Use

我帮你买票。

Put 帮 plus the beneficiary before the action.

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