Question 1

Why does 我帮忙他 sound broken, but 我帮他忙 is fine?

Accepted Answer

帮忙 can't take a person right after it — the person slides into the middle. 帮忙 is two pieces: 帮 (help) plus 忙 (busy). English glues the person straight onto the verb — help him, help her. Chinese slides the person between the two pieces: 帮 + 他 + 忙. So 我帮他忙 sounds normal, while 我帮忙他 makes people wince. Want to underline it's a real favor? Say 我帮他的忙 or 我帮他一个忙. Same squeeze trick shows up in 见面, 结婚 and 睡觉 — extra info goes inside, never tacked on the back.

Question 2

Can I say 我游泳了三个小时 to mean I swam for three hours?

Accepted Answer

No — the time block goes inside the verb: 我游了三个小时的泳. 游泳 is also two pieces, so 了 and your time block sit between them. The tidy version is 我游了三个小时的泳. The street version repeats the verb: 我游泳游了三个小时. The 了 here is a done-deal stamp (了1), not a past-tense button. No time, no object, nothing to split? Leave the whole thing alone: “我有时会去游泳。” ── 《你喜欢看老电影吗？》

Question 3

When can you repeat the verb — 帮帮忙, 游游泳, 跳跳舞 — and when does it sound wrong?

Accepted Answer

Repeating the verb means 'a quick little bit' — great for favors, wrong for habits. 帮帮忙吧 softens a request: give me a hand real quick, yeah? 周末去跑跑步、跳跳舞 means a light session, not serious training. The repeat adds 'a little', so it fights with habit words — 我喜欢游泳 is right, while 我喜欢游游泳 sounds like you enjoy a five-minute splash. You can get that same cozy feel with 个: 帮个忙, 游个泳, 跳个舞.

Situation / Pattern	Formula	Natural	Avoid
Help a specific person	帮 + person + 忙	我帮他忙。	我帮忙他。
Stress it's a real favor	帮 + person + 的 + 忙	我帮他的忙。	我帮忙他的。
Talk about helping in general	帮忙 with no person	谢谢你来帮忙。	谢谢你来帮忙我。

Situation / Pattern	Formula	Natural	Avoid
Say how long you swam, tidy style	游 + 了 + time + 的 + 泳	我游了三个小时的泳。	我游泳了三个小时。
Same thing, spoken style	游泳 + 游 + 了 + time	我游泳游了三个小时。	我游泳了三个小时。
No time, no object, no splitting	去 + 游泳	我有时会去游泳。	我有时会去游的泳。

Situation / Pattern	Formula	Natural	Avoid
Ask a small favor, friendly	帮 + 帮 + 忙	帮帮忙吧。	帮忙帮忙吧。
Habit or serious practice	喜欢 + 游泳	我喜欢游泳。	我喜欢游游泳。
Casual one-off help	帮 + 个 + 忙	帮我个忙。	帮我个帮忙。

帮忙、游泳、跳舞、跑步

Why does 我帮忙他 sound broken, but 我帮他忙 is fine?

Can I say 我游泳了三个小时 to mean I swam for three hours?

When can you repeat the verb — 帮帮忙, 游游泳, 跳跳舞 — and when does it sound wrong?

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