Want to give advice in Chinese?
Or say something is probably true?
Then you need one very useful word:
应该 (yīnggāi)
You’ll hear it all the time in everyday Chinese.
Most learners first learn:
应该 = should
That’s correct — but 应该 has another very common use too.
Let’s make it simple. 👇
01 应该 = Should / Ought To
The most common use of 应该 is to say what someone should do or what is considered the right thing to do.
Basic Pattern
Subject + 应该 + Verb Phrase
你应该早点睡觉。
You should go to bed earlier.
你应该多练习汉语。
You should practice Chinese more.
我们应该先问问老师。
We should ask the teacher first.
Here, 应该 can express advice, a recommendation, or what someone feels is the right thing to do.
02 不应该 = Shouldn’t
Want to say someone should not do something?
Put 不 before 应该:
不应该 + Verb Phrase
你不应该每天睡这么晚。
You shouldn’t go to bed this late every day.
上课的时候，你不应该一直看手机。
You shouldn’t keep looking at your phone during class.
我们不应该浪费时间。
We shouldn’t waste time.
Easy to remember:
应该做 → should do
不应该做 → shouldn’t do
03 应该 Can Also Mean “Probably”
This is the use many learners miss.
Sometimes 应该 is not giving advice at all.
Instead, it shows that you think something is likely to be true based on what you know.
他已经在路上了，应该快到了。
He’s already on the way. He should be here soon.
现在才六点，他应该还没下班。
It’s only six. He probably hasn’t finished work yet.
他们八点出发，现在应该已经到了。
They left at eight. They should have arrived by now.
In these sentences, 应该 means something like:
👉 probably
👉 should be
👉 is expected to
You are making a reasonable guess based on the situation.
04 Advice or Guess? Context Tells You 👀
Compare:
你应该早点回家。
You should go home earlier.
👉 Advice
Now compare:
他现在应该已经到家了。
He should be home by now.
👉 Reasonable guess
Same word — different meaning.
The context tells you which one is intended.
05 应该 vs 必须
These two words are related, but they are not interchangeable.
应该 (yīnggāi)
Usually means:
should / ought to
你应该早点休息。
You should get some rest earlier.
It expresses advice, what is appropriate, or what someone is expected to do.
必须 (bìxū)
Means:
must / have to
明天参加考试的人必须带护照。
Anyone taking the exam tomorrow must bring a passport.
必须 is stronger because it emphasizes necessity or a requirement.
A useful shortcut:
应该 → should / ought to 👍
必须 → must / have to ❗
06 One Small Difference That Matters
Be careful with negative sentences.
不应该
usually means:
should not / shouldn’t
你不应该去。
You shouldn’t go.
But when 应该 expresses a guess, you may hear:
应该不会
= probably won’t
他今天应该不会来了。
He probably won’t come today.
So:
不应该去
→ shouldn’t go
应该不会去
→ probably won’t go
Small difference, very different meaning. 💡
07 A Sentence You’ll Use All the Time
One of the most useful questions with 应该 is:
我应该怎么办？
What should I do?
You can use the same pattern in many situations:
我应该买哪个？
Which one should I buy?
我们应该几点出发？
What time should we leave?
Very useful. Very everyday Chinese. 🙌
⭐ Quick Summary
应该 + Verb
should / ought to
你应该多练习。
You should practice more.
不应该 + Verb
shouldn’t
你不应该这么做。
You shouldn’t do that.
应该 + expected situation
probably / should be
他应该快到了。
He should be here soon.
🌱 Remember This
When you hear 应该 (yīnggāi), ask yourself:
Is someone talking about what is right or advisable?
👉 应该 = should / ought to
Or:
Is someone making a reasonable guess?
👉 应该 = probably / should be
Master these two ideas, and you’ll understand most everyday uses of 应该. 😊