Italian Phrase
Mi dai una mano con questo?
Meaning
Literally ‘Will you give me a hand with this?’, this informal request asks someone to help you with a specific task or object. It’s friendly and polite, suitable for casual conversation.
When to use
Use it with friends, classmates, or coworkers when you need a quick favor. In formal settings you’d switch to a more formal construction such as ‘Mi potrebbe aiutare con questo?’
✦Grammar Breakdown
Midaiunamanoconquesto
Mi (indirect object pronoun)
‘Mi’ replaces ‘to me’; it indicates the person who receives the help.
dai (present of dare)
‘dai’ is the second‑person singular present of ‘dare’ (to give) and is used idiomatically to mean ‘to lend a hand’.
una mano (idiom)
Literally ‘one hand’, but idiomatically it means ‘a hand/help’.
con (preposition)
‘con’ introduces the object of the assistance; the correct preposition is ‘con’, not ‘per’.
questo (demonstrative)
Points to the specific thing you need help with; it agrees in gender and number with the noun it replaces.
🗨In Conversation
Mi dai una mano con questo?
Can you give me a hand with this?
Certo, dimmi cosa devo fare.
Sure, tell me what I need to do.
✕Common Mistakes
Mi dai una mano per questo?
The correct preposition after ‘una mano’ is ‘con’, not ‘per’.
Mi dai aiuto con questo?
‘Dare una mano’ is idiomatic; avoid the literal ‘dare aiuto’ which sounds unnatural.
↔Alternatives
Puoi aiutarmi con questo?
Can you help me with this?
Mi potresti dare una mano con questo?
Could you give me a hand with this?
Mi aiuti con questo?
Will you help me with this?
Cultural Tip
The expression ‘una mano’ is very common in everyday Italian and conveys a friendly tone. Keep your voice light; sounding too demanding can feel rude. In the north of Italy people may prefer ‘puoi aiutarmi…’, while in the south the idiom is used even more frequently.