assistance / guidance
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assistance / guidance
The support or guidance you give someone to help them with a task or a problem. Often it is about showing someone how something is done.
Der Lehrer gab den Schülern Hilfestellung bei der schwierigen Matheaufgabe.
The teacher gave the students assistance with the difficult math problem.
The word consists of 'Hilfe' (help) and 'Stellung' (placing/positioning). The ending '-ung' makes it a feminine noun and gives it a more formal, more official character than the simple word 'Hilfe' (help).
Für den Anfang benötigen wir noch etwas Hilfestellung.
To get started, we still need a little assistance.
'Hilfestellung' (assistance/guidance) is very often combined with the verbs 'geben' (to give) or the more formal 'leisten' (to provide/render). If you need help, you can say that you 'Hilfestellung benötigt' (need assistance).
Können Sie mir bei diesem Formular bitte Hilfestellung geben?
Could you please give me some assistance with this form?
To specify the area in which help is being provided, you use the preposition 'bei' followed by the dative.
Ich brauche Hilfestellung bei der Installation der Software.
I need assistance with installing the software.
help
Hilfe can refer to any form or degree of support. Hilfestellung usually means targeted guidance that enables someone to make progress on a task independently. If the work is taken over, Hilfe is more appropriate; if only the next step is shown, Hilfestellung is the better choice.
Der Lehrer gibt Paul eine Hilfestellung, damit er die schwierige Aufgabe selbst lösen kann.
The teacher gives Paul some guidance so that he can solve the difficult problem himself.
Der Lehrer hilft Paul und löst die schwierige Aufgabe mit ihm zusammen.
The teacher helps Paul and solves the difficult problem together with him.
