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Level Everyday Chinese · HSK 2

Should, Must, May and Only: 应该, 得, 必须, 可以, 不用, 只

English "must", "should" and "may" each map onto a small family of Chinese words. The forms are easy (they all go before the main verb and don't change), but the negatives don't line up with English, and that's where mistakes happen.

Should and must

应该 (yīnggāi) is should. 得 (děi) is the spoken must, have to; 必须 (bìxū) is a stronger, more formal must. 该…了 means "it's time to".

The negatives are the trap: "don't have to" is 不用 (or formally 不必), not 不得 or 不必须.

MeaningPositiveNegative
should应该不应该 shouldn't
must, have to得 / 必须不用 / 不必 don't have to
may, can可以不可以 / 不能 mustn't
don't!不要 / 别

  • 你应该多喝水。

    Nǐ yīnggāi duō hē shuǐ.

    You should drink more water.

  • 我得走了。

    Wǒ děi zǒu le.

    I have to go.

  • 明天你不用来。

    Míngtiān nǐ bú yòng lái.

    You don't need to come tomorrow.

  • 该睡觉了。

    Gāi shuì jiào le.

    It's time for bed.

May: 可以

可以 (kěyǐ) asks for and gives permission. 不可以 and 不能 both forbid. Answer a 可以 question with 可以 or 不行.

  • 我可以进来吗？

    Wǒ kěyǐ jìnlai ma?

    May I come in?

  • 这儿不可以抽烟。

    Zhèr bù kěyǐ chōu yān.

    You can't smoke here.

Don't, watch out: 不要, 别, 小心

不要 and 别 + verb tell someone not to do something. 别…了 asks them to stop. 小心 means "careful!". Soften a request with 吧 or 好吗.

  • 不要在这儿停车。

    Bú yào zài zhèr tíng chē.

    Don't park here.

  • 别哭了，好吗？

    Bié kū le, hǎo ma?

    Stop crying, OK?

  • 小心！车来了！

    Xiǎoxīn! Chē lái le!

    Careful! There's a car coming!

Plans and only: 打算, 愿意, 只

打算 (dǎsuàn) + verb is "plan to"; 愿意 (yuànyì) + verb is "be willing to". 只 (zhǐ, only) goes before the verb, even when English "only" points at the object: 我只喝茶 (I only drink tea). 够 (gòu) means enough.

  • 我打算明年去中国。

    Wǒ dǎsuàn míngnián qù Zhōngguó.

    I'm planning to go to China next year.

  • 你愿意帮我吗？

    Nǐ yuànyì bāng wǒ ma?

    Would you be willing to help me?

  • 我只喝茶。

    Wǒ zhǐ hē chá.

    I only drink tea.

  • 钱不够。

    Qián bú gòu.

    There isn't enough money.

Common mistakes

  • ✗你不得来。 (meaning "you don't have to come")

    ✓你不用来。

    Nǐ bú yòng lái.

    得 has no everyday negative. "Don't have to" is 不用.

  • ✗我喝只茶。

    ✓我只喝茶。

    Wǒ zhǐ hē chá.

    只 is an adverb, so it goes before the verb.

  • ✗你不用说话！ (meaning "don't talk!")

    ✓你别说话！

    Nǐ bié shuō huà!

    不用 means there's no need. To forbid, use 别 or 不要.

Questions learners ask

Is 得 here the same character as the 得 in 说得很好?

Same character, different word. As "must" it's read děi and goes before a verb. As the complement marker it's read de and goes after a verb.

能 or 可以 for permission?

Both work: 我能进来吗？ and 我可以进来吗？ 可以 is the more typical choice for asking permission; 能 leans toward ability.

Practice this in lessons

The Everyday Chinese lessons teach this step by step, with exercises and review built in.

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