(gāi) — should; ought to

Definition

该 (gāi) is a more formal written equivalent of 应该 'should / ought to', used especially for strong likelihood ('he should be home by now'). Negate with 不该, not 不用.

pronoun
shouldought to

Examples

  • Nǐ gāi xiān wán chéng zuò yè zài kàn diàn shì.
    You should finish your homework first before watching TV.
  • Zhè me wǎn le, tā gāi yǐ jīng dào jiā le.
    It's so late; he should already be home.
  • Wǒ men gāi hù xiāng zūn zhòng.
    We should respect each other.

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