应该 (yīnggāi) translates to the English word "should," and is an
essential word to know for your conversaitonal Chinese. You should
definitely get comfortable using 应该 (yīnggāi) right away!
Basic Usage
Structure
The auxiliary verb 应该 (yīnggāi) is the
most common way to express "should" in Chinese. The structure is:
Subj. + 应该 + Verb + Obj.
Examples
- 在 中国, 你 应该 喝 白酒。 Zài
Zhōngguó, nǐ yīnggāi hē
báijiǔ.In China, you should drink
baijiu.
- 我 应该 给 你 多少 钱?Wǒ
yīnggāi gěi nǐ duōshao qián? How
much money should I give you?
- 感冒 的 时候 应该 喝 热水。 Gǎnmào de
shíhou yīnggāi hē rè shuǐ.You
should drink hot water when you have a cold.
- 明天 你 应该 八 点 半 来 公司。
Míngtiān nǐ yīnggāi bādiǎn bàn lái
gōngsī.You should come to the office
tomorrow at 8:30.
- 他 太 累 了,应该 回家 休息。Tā tài
lèi le, yīnggāi huíjiā
xiūxi.He's too tired. He should go home
and rest.
Negate 应该 (yīnggāi) with 不 (bù)
Structure
Add the negative adverb 不
(bù) before 应该 (yīnggāi) to negate it.
Subj. + 不 + 应该 + Verb + Obj.
Examples
- 你 不 应该 告诉 他。 Nǐ bù
yīnggāi gàosu tā.You should not tell
him.
- 他 不 应该 打 人。Tā bù
yīnggāi dǎ rén.He should not hit
people.
- 我们 不 应该 迟到。Wǒmen bù
yīnggāi chídào.We shouldn't be
late.
- 你们 不 应该 笑 她。Nǐmen bù
yīnggāi xiào tā.You shouldn't laugh
at her.
- 你们 不 应该 拿 别人 的 东西。Nǐmen
bù yīnggāi ná biérén de
dōngxi.You should not take other people's
stuff.
See Also
Sources and further reading
Books
Category:A2 grammar points