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A2 Intermediate Modal & Auxiliary Verbs

应该 (yīnggāi): How to Say “Should” / “Ought To”

应该 (yīnggāi) is the everyday “should / ought to”: Subject + 应该 + Verb (你应该多休息 = “you should rest more”). It never changes form, negates with 不 (不应该), and also means “should be / probably”.

Why this trips learners up

The everyday word for “should” or “ought to” in Chinese is 应该 (yīnggāi) — an auxiliary verb that sits before the main verb, just like English “should”: Subject + 应该 + Verb (+ Object). 你应该多喝水 = “you should drink more water”; 我们应该早点出发 = “we ought to leave early”. It's invariant — it never changes shape — and to make it negative you simply put 不 in front: 不应该 = “shouldn't” (你不应该告诉他 = “you shouldn't tell him”). Note that's 不, never 没 — 应该 is a judgment, not a finished action.

There's a second, equally common sense worth knowing early: 应该 also expresses a reasonable guess — “should be / probably”. 他应该到家了 = “he should be home by now”; 菜很有名，应该不错 = “the food's famous, so it should be good”. Same word — when the action is yours to do, it's advice (“you should…”); when you're estimating how things stand, it's an inference (“it should be…”).

One handy short form: in casual speech 应该 often clips to just 该 (gāi), especially in 该…了 (“it's time to…”): 时间不早了，我们该走了 = “it's getting late, we should get going”. And keep 应该 apart from the other modals — it's softer than 要 (“want / must”) and different from 想 (“would like to”): 应该 is what's right to do, not what you want.

The structure

Subject 应该 yīnggāi VerbObject
Colour key

Each colour marks one grammatical role — and the same colour means the same role on every page in the Lab.

Pattern Subject Verb Object Time Negation Adverb Function word Adjective Question

Examples in context

Real-world sentences, easiest first. Toggle pinyin or the translation, tap any word to see its role, or play the audio.

Tap a word to see its grammatical role.

nǐ 你 Subject yīnggāi 应该 Pattern duō 多 Adverb hē 喝 Verb shuǐ 水 Object

You should drink more water.

nǐ 你 Subject bù 不 Negation yīnggāi 应该 Pattern zhème 这么 Adverb zuò 做 Verb

You shouldn't do this.

shàngkè de shíhou 上课的时候 Time yīnggāi 应该 Pattern guān 关 Verb shǒujī 手机 Object

You should turn off your phone in class.

wǒ 我 Subject yīnggāi 应该 Pattern chuān 穿 Verb shénme 什么 Question

What should I wear?

nǐ 你 Subject shēngbìng 生病 Verb le 了 Function word bù 不 Negation yīnggāi 应该 Pattern hē 喝 Verb jiǔ 酒 Object

You're sick — you shouldn't drink alcohol.

shíjiān 时间 Subject bù 不 Negation zǎo 早 Adjective le 了 Function word wǒmen 我们 Subject gāi 该 Pattern zǒu 走 Verb le 了 Function word

It's getting late — we should get going (该 = the short form; 该…了 = “time to”).

tā 他 Subject yīnggāi 应该 Pattern dào jiā 到家 Verb le 了 Function word

He should be home by now (the probability sense — a reasonable guess).

zhè jiā diàn 这家店 Subject hěn 很 Adverb yǒumíng 有名 Adjective cài 菜 Subject yīnggāi 应该 Pattern búcuò 不错 Adjective

This place is famous, so the food should be pretty good (an educated guess).

Common mistakes

Avoid: 我没应该去。 wǒ méi yīnggāi qù.
Say this: 我不应该去。 wǒ bù yīnggāi qù.

Why it happens: Negate 应该 with 不, not 没. “I shouldn't go” is 我不应该去, never 我没应该去 — 应该 is a present judgment, and 没 negates finished actions, which doesn't apply here.

Avoid: 你多休息应该。 nǐ duō xiūxi yīnggāi.
Say this: 你应该多休息。 nǐ yīnggāi duō xiūxi.

Why it happens: 应该 is an auxiliary verb, so it sits BEFORE the main verb, not at the end — 你应该多休息 (“you should rest more”), not 你多休息应该.

Avoid: 你想休息。 nǐ xiǎng xiūxi. (= you would like to rest)
Say this: 你应该休息。 nǐ yīnggāi xiūxi. (= you should rest)

Why it happens: “Should / ought to” is 应该 — not 想 (“would like to”) or 要 (“want / must”). “You should rest” is 你应该休息; 你想休息 means “you'd like to rest”, a different idea.

Compare & contrast

应该 — “should / ought to” (advice, obligation)应该 — “should be / probably” (a reasonable guess)The difference
你应该去看医生。nǐ yīnggāi qù kàn yīshēng. = you should see a doctor (advice)他应该在办公室。tā yīnggāi zài bàngōngshì. = he should be in the office (a guess)你应该去看医生 = “you should see a doctor” — advice about what to do. 他应该在办公室 = “he should be in the office” — a guess about where he is.
我们应该早点出发。wǒmen yīnggāi zǎo diǎn chūfā. = we ought to leave early (obligation)现在应该不堵车。xiànzài yīnggāi bù dǔchē. = there is probably no traffic now (inference)我们应该早点出发 = “we ought to leave early” — an obligation. 现在应该不堵车 = “there's probably no traffic now” — an inference.
Rule of thumb应该 has two everyday jobs. With an action you control, it's advice or obligation — “should / ought to” (你应该多休息). With a situation you're guessing about, it's a reasonable inference — “should be / probably” (他应该到了). Telling someone the right thing to do, or estimating what's likely? The same 应该.

Try it yourself

Say “You should rest more.” — tap the words into order.

Related patterns

要How to Say “Want To” with 要 (yào)

应该 vs 要: 应该 is a soft “should / ought to” (advice); 要 leans toward “want” or a firmer “must”.

 想How to Say “Would Like To” with 想 (xiǎng)

想 is what you'd LIKE to do; 应该 is what you SHOULD do — a wish vs the right thing.

 会能可以会 vs 能 vs 可以: Three Ways to Say “Can”

应该 joins the modal family — 会 / 能 / 可以 (“can”), 要 / 想 (“want”), 应该 (“should”).

 得How to Say “Must” with 得 (děi)

Two strengths of obligation: 应该 is “should,” a recommendation (你应该道歉), while 得 (děi) is “have to,” a real requirement (你得道歉). 得 leaves less room to opt out.

 别 / 不要别 / 不要 (bié / búyào): How to Say “Don't” (Commands)

Softer than a command: 别 / 不要 forbid (“don't!”); 不应该 just advises against (“you shouldn't”).

 不用How to Say “Don't Need To” with 不用 (bùyòng)

Opposite pulls on obligation: 应该 nudges you toward an action (你应该去, “you should go”), while 不用 lets you off it (你不用去, “you don't have to go”).

 还是How to Say “Had Better” with 还是 (háishì)

Two ways to recommend: 应该 is “should” (the right thing to do); 还是…吧 is “had better,” the option you settle on after weighing them.

 最好How to Say “Had Better” with 最好 (zuìhǎo)

Three ways to recommend: 应该 is “should,” 最好 is “had better” (the best thing to do), and both land friendlier than a flat command.

 好像How to Say “It Seems” with 好像 (hǎoxiàng)

Two ways to hedge a claim: 应该 says “it should / ought to be” from reasoning (他应该是老师), while 好像 says “it seems” from evidence (他好像是老师). Both soften a flat statement.

 以为How to Say “Mistakenly Thought” with 以为 (yǐwéi)

Both soften a claim, but in opposite directions: 应该 is a confident inference (“should / ought to be,” 他应该是老师), while 以为 is a belief you've since found to be wrong (我以为他是老师).

 尽量How to Say “As Much as Possible” with 尽量 (jǐnliàng)

A frequent partner. 应该 says you ought to (你应该早点睡); slot 尽量 in and 应该尽量 asks you to do it as much as you can manage (应该尽量早点睡). 应该 sets the obligation; 尽量 sets the effort to “as far as possible.”

 本来How to Say “Originally / All Along” with 本来 (běnlái)

A companion in both uses. 本来 leans on 应该: 本来是应该考得更好的 (“should have, but…”) and 本来就应该好好备课 (“are supposed to”). 应该 gives the “should”; 本来 frames it as what was originally expected.

 千万How to Say “Be Sure To / Whatever You Do” with 千万 (qiānwàn)

The urgent end of advice. 应该 gives calm “should / ought to” guidance (你应该早点睡); 千万 is the far more emotional “be sure to / whatever you do,” saved for things that really matter (你千万要小心). 应该 suggests; 千万 implores.
Quick reference card
Merry Mandarin 应该 (yīnggāi): How to Say “Should” / “Ought To” grammar.merrymandarin.com

A pocket summary — print it and keep it by your desk.

Structure
Subject + 应该 + Verb + Object
Example
你应该多喝水
You should drink more water.
Watch out
✗ 我没应该去。  →  ✓ 我不应该去。