Voted Best Answer

Nov 18, 2020 - 07:58 AM
Just like in English, some verbs in French have to use a preposition when they precede another verb.
That's the case of "Aider" or "Apprendre" that you asked about as well. Both need to use "à" when they go before another verb, but only in this case. We say:
Je vais aider Sandra / I'm going to help Sandra
Je vais aider Sandra à nettoyer / I'm going to help Sandra clean
J'apprends le français / I'm learning French
J'apprends à parler français / I'm learning (how) to speak French
There are other verbs using "à" this way, like: Commencer à faire quelque chose / to start doing something
Other verbs use other prepositions, like "de"...which is why we introduce this type of verbs little by little in the program.