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

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

Subject + 应该 + Verb + Object

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?

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

Subject + 不 + 应该 + Verb + Object

你 不应该 告诉他。 Nǐ bù yīnggāi gàosu tā. You should not tell him.
他 不应该 吃那么多。 Tā bù yīnggāi chī nàme duō. He should not eat so much.
我们 不应该 这样做。 Wǒmen bù yīnggāi zhèyàng zuò. We should not do it this way.
在这里，你 不应该 说英文。 Zài zhèlǐ, nǐ bù yīnggāi shuō Yīngwén. Here, you should not speak English.
你 不应该 用父母的钱。 Nǐ bù yīnggāi yòng fùmǔ de qián. You should not use your parent's money.
我 不应该 去那里。 Wǒ bù yīnggāi qù nàli. I should not go there.
好女孩 不应该 喝酒。 Hǎo nǚhái bù yīnggāi hē jiǔ. A good girl shouldn't drink alcohol.
你 不应该 给你的狗巧克力。 Nǐ bù yīnggāi gěi nǐ de gǒu qiǎokèlì. You should not give your dog chocolate.
你 不应该 这么早走。 Nǐ bù yīnggāi zhème zǎo zǒu. You shouldn't leave so early.
你 不应该 吃冰淇淋。 Nǐ bù yīnggāi chī bīngqílín. You shouldn't eat ice cream.