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 。 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.

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