该gāishould; ought to

1. 1.

   should; ought toverb

2. 2.

   probably; must beverb

3. 3.

   to be someone's turn to do sthverb

• 该should; ought to

该 and 应该 both mean "should"; 应该 is the fuller form learners often meet first, while 该 is shorter in the same pattern.

1. HSK 1

   你该去。

   Nǐ gāi qù.

   You should go.

2. HSK 2

   不该告诉他。

   Bù gāi gàosu tā.

   You/One should not tell him.

3. HSK 1

   他该到了。

   Tā gāi dào le.

   He should have arrived. / He has probably arrived.

4. HSK 1

   该你了。

   Gāi nǐ le.

   It's your turn.

Both mean "should" before a verb. 应该 is the two-syllable form; 该 is the shorter one-character form in the same pattern (你该去 / 你应该去).

1. 
   Speaker A:

   我该去吗？

   Wǒ gāi qù ma?

   Should I go?

2. 
   Speaker B:

   你该去。

   Nǐ gāi qù.

   You should go.

3. 
   Speaker A:

   该告诉他吗？

   Gāi gàosu tā ma?

   Should (we) tell him?

4. 
   Speaker B:

   不该告诉他。

   Bù gāi gàosu tā.

   We should not tell him.

5. 
   Speaker A:

   到我了吗？

   Dào wǒ le ma?

   Is it my turn?

6. 
   Speaker B:

   该你了。

   Gāi nǐ le.

   It's your turn.

1. 1.Fill in the blank: 你___去。

   A该B被C小
2. 2.Which means "It's your turn"?

   A该你了。B被你了。C叫你了。
3. 3.Fill in the blank: ___告诉他。 (should not tell him)

   A不该B不被C不叫

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Related words

• 应该yīng gāiought to; should; mustHSK 3
• 要yàoto want; to need; to ask forHSK 1
• 可以kě yǐcan; may; possible; able toHSK 1
• 需要xū yàoto need; to want; to demand; to requireHSK 3
• 不bùno; not so; (bound form) not; un-HSK 1
• 会huìcan; to have the skill; to know how toHSK 1

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