Expressing "should" with "yinggai"

One of the words that "should" definitely be learned by any Chinese learner is the word 应该 (yīnggāi).

Basic Usage

Structure

The auxiliary verb 应该 (yīnggāi) is the most common way to express "should" in Chinese. The structure is:

Subject + 应该 + Verb + Object

Examples

• 我 应该 喝 点 水 。 Wǒ yīnggāi hē diǎn shuǐ. I should drink a little water.
• 你 应该 告诉 我 。 Nǐ yīnggāi gàosu wǒ. You should tell me.
• 他 应该 去 看 医生 。 Tā yīnggāi qù kān yīshēng. He should go to see a doctor.
• 你 应该 多 吃 点 。 Nǐ yīnggāi duō chī diǎn. You should eat a little more.
• 你 应该 学 汉语 。 Nǐ yīnggāi xué Hànyǔ. You should study Chinese.
• 你 应该 看 这 个 电影 。 Nǐ yīnggāi kān zhè gè diànyǐng. You should watch this movie.
• 他 应该 用 自己 的 钱 。 Tā yīnggāi yòng zìjǐ de qián. He should use his own money.
• 在 中国 ， 你 应该 喝 白酒 。 Zài Zhōngguó, nǐ yīnggāi hē báijiǔ. In China, You should drink white wine.
• 我 应该 说 英文 吗 ？ Wǒ yīnggāi shuō Yīngwén ma? Should I speak English?
• 我 应该 去 他 家 吗 ？ Wǒ yīnggāi qù tā jiā ma? Should I go to his house?

Making It Negative

Structure

Add the negative adverb 不 (bù) before 应该 (yīnggāi) to negate the structure.

Subject + 不 + 应该 + Verb + Object

Examples

• 你 不 应该 告诉 他。You should not tell him.
• 他 不 应该 吃 那么 多。He should not eat so much.
• 我们 不 应该 这样 做。We should not do it this way.
• 在 这里，你 不 应该 说 英文。Here, you should not speak English.
• 你 不 应该 用 父母 的 钱。You should not use your parent's money.
• 我 不 应该 去 那里。I should not go there.
• 好 女孩 不 应该 喝 酒。A good girl shouldn't drink alcohol.
• 你 不 应该 给 你 的 狗 巧克力。You should not give your dog chocolate.
• 你 不 应该 这么 早 走。You shouldn't leave so early.
• 你 不 应该 吃 冰淇淋。You shouldn't eat ice cream.

See Also

• "Must" modal "dei"
• "Would like to" with xiang
• Wanting to do something with yao

Books

• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1) (pp. 160-1) →buy
• New Practical Chinese Reader 1 (新实用汉语课本1)(2nd ed) (pp. 185-7) →buy