Practise the thinking. Keep the judgement.
应该 and 该: should
Original Chinese study material with English explanations. Simplified Chinese with pinyin; beginner, intermediate and advanced are editorial difficulty labels.
应该 (yīnggāi) expresses an obligation, recommendation or expectation. 该 (gāi) can have a similar meaning and also appears in 该……了 to say it is time for something.
你应该先看说明。
Nǐ yīnggāi xiān kàn shuōmíng.
You should read the instructions first.
该回家了。
Gāi huí jiā le.
It is time to go home.
An expectation expressed with 应该 is not a guarantee. It can mean probably or ought to in context.
Try it
What does 该睡觉了 mean?
- It is time to sleep
- I have never slept
- Sleeping is forbidden
Answer and explanation
It is time to sleep. 该……了 marks that the time for an activity has arrived.