2 · Modal verbs
Should: yīnggāi
advice and expectation
Yīnggāi gives advice or says what is right — and also what you would expect to be the case.
应该 before a verb says what is right or advisable: 你应该多休息, “you should rest more”. Like every modal verb it never changes and stands before the main verb, and it can be the short answer on its own: 应该, “yes, you should”.
不应该 is “should not”, and it is often a reproach: 你不应该这么说, “you shouldn’t have said that” or “you shouldn’t talk like that” — the situation decides which.
English “should have done” changes the verb; Chinese does not. The regret is carried by the context, by a word such as 早, “earlier”, and often by 的 at the end: 我应该早点儿告诉你的, “I should have told you sooner”. A 了 after 应该 does not make it past; a modal verb takes no 了.
Like English “should”, 应该 also says what you expect to be true: 他现在应该到家了, “he should be home by now”. In strength it sits between 可以, an option, and 得 or 必须, a must.
The form
| should | 你应该多喝水。 |
| should not | 你不应该迟到。 |
| should have | 我应该早点儿告诉你的。 |
| expectation | 他现在应该到家了。 |
| question | 我应该怎么办？ |
| reply to thanks | 不客气，应该的。 |
The rules one by one
The form this topic is about
应该 + verb: what is right or advisable.
你感冒了，应该早点儿睡觉。You’ve got a cold; you should go to bed early.
不应该 says that something is or was wrong, often as a reproach.
你不应该对妈妈发脾气。You shouldn’t lose your temper with your mum.
Nothing changes for “should have”: the context, and often a final 的, says it is too late.
昨天我应该带伞的。I should have taken an umbrella yesterday.
应该 also says what you expect to be true.
这么晚了，商店应该关门了。It is so late, the shops should be closed by now.
A closer look
How strong is yīnggāi?
Put side by side, the modal verbs of obligation make a scale. 你可以去: you may go, if you like. 你应该去: you ought to go. 你得去 and 你必须去: you have to go, there is no choice.
When advice should sound less like an instruction, speakers soften it: 你最好早点儿去, “you’d better go early”, or turn it into a question — 是不是应该…, “shouldn’t we perhaps …?”.
How to spot it
- 应该
- 不应该
- 应该…的
Example sentences
学生应该按时交作业。Students should hand their homework in on time.
这件事你应该先问问你爸爸。You should ask your dad about this first.
你不应该晚上一个人出去。You shouldn’t go out alone at night.
飞机三点起飞，他现在应该在机场。The plane takes off at three, so he should be at the airport now.
我应该买哪个？Which one should I buy?
我们应该多关心老人。We should take more care of older people.
7 more example sentences
你太累了，应该休息几天。You’re worn out; you ought to take a few days off.
开车的时候不应该看手机。You shouldn’t look at your phone while driving.
我觉得你应该跟他谈谈。I think you should have a talk with him.
这个问题不难，你应该会。This question isn’t hard; you should be able to do it.
他刚才还在，应该没走远。He was here a moment ago; he can’t have gone far.
早知道这样，我应该坐地铁的。Had I known, I would have taken the underground.
我们是不是应该先打个电话？Shouldn’t we ring first?
Worth knowing (1)
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Yīnggāi de: you are welcome
Thanked for a favour that was part of your job or simply the decent thing, you can answer 应该的, “it is what I should do”. It sounds modest and warm at the same time.
谢谢你帮我！——别客气，应该的。Thanks for helping me! — Not at all, it was the least I could do.
The trap English speakers fall into
Watch out
English marks “should have” on the verb, so learners look for a past form and hang 了 on 应该. A modal verb takes no 了. The regret lies in 早点儿, “earlier”, and in the final 的.
Yīnggāi before the verb is advice or an expectation; nothing changes for “should have”.
Your turn
8 exercises on this topic. Your answers are checked in the browser; none of them leaves your device.