Should in different languages

Should in Different Languages

Discover 'Should' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.

Updated on March 6, 2024

The word 'should' is a small but powerful part of the English language. It is a modal verb that expresses obligation, advice, or expectation. Its significance lies in its ability to guide our actions and decisions, making it a crucial component of communication and culture. 'Should' is used in various contexts, from giving advice to expressing social expectations.

Throughout history, 'should' has played a vital role in shaping literature, laws, and moral debates. Its cultural importance is evident in the way it is used in everyday conversations and formal settings alike. By understanding the many nuances of 'should,' we can gain valuable insights into the English-speaking world and its values.

Moreover, knowing the translation of 'should' in different languages can be beneficial for anyone looking to expand their linguistic and cultural horizons. For instance, the German translation of 'should' is 'sollte,' while the Spanish translation is 'debería.' By learning these translations, you can better communicate with people from different backgrounds and appreciate the richness of their languages and cultures.

In the following list, you will find the translations of 'should' in various languages, from French to Chinese and beyond. Each translation offers a unique perspective on this versatile word and the cultures that use it.

Should


Should in Sub-Saharan African Languages

Afrikaansmoet
The word "moet" in Afrikaans, meaning "should", derives from the Dutch "moet" and ultimately the Proto-Germanic word "*motaz", cognate with English "must."
Amharicይገባል
The word "ይገባል" (yegabal) can also mean "can" and "is possible."
Hausaya kamata
The word "ya kamata" in Hausa also means "it is necessary".
Igbokwesịrị
The word "kwesịrị" can also mean "it is necessary" or "it is appropriate."
Malagasytokony
The Malagasy word "tokony" originally meant "it is necessary" and is derived from the Proto-Austronesian word "tuqun."
Nyanja (Chichewa)ayenera
The word "ayenera" can also mean "it is possible" or "it is necessary".
Shonandinofanira
Ndino refers to "be"; fanira to "appropriate," thus ndinofanira translates to "this is how it should be."
Somaliwaa in
Waa in, often interpreted as the conditional "should", also carries the connotation of "it is appropriate" when referencing the weather or time.
Sesotholokela
Lokela is a contraction of the phrase 'ho lokela' which means 'to be fitting or appropriate'.
Swahiliinapaswa
In Swahili, "inapaswa" is a passive form of "-paswa" meaning "to be forced, obliged, or necessary".
Xhosakufanele
Kufanele is also used in the sense of "to be adequate or sufficient"}
Yorubayẹ
Yoruba yẹ derives from Èyí yẹ́ which means "this is good" or "this is what should be done"
Zulukufanele
Kufanele also means 'to be worthy' and 'to deserve' in Zulu.
Bambaraka kan
Eweele be
Kinyarwandaigomba
Lingalaesengeli
Luganda-teekwa
Sepediswanetše
Twi (Akan)ɛwɔ sɛ

Should in North African & Middle Eastern Languages

Arabicينبغي
The word "ينبغي" (should) in Arabic derives from the root "ن-ب-غ" meaning "to grow" or "to be high" and carries connotations of appropriateness, necessity, and obligation.
Hebrewצריך
The Hebrew word 'צריך' can also mean 'need' or 'be necessary', implying an element of necessity or requirement.
Pashtoباید
In Pashto, “باید” (“should”) originates from the Old Persian term “bai” meaning “duty” and is cognate to the Proto-Indo-European root “bhē-,” indicating a sense of “duty” or “necessity.”
Arabicينبغي
The word "ينبغي" (should) in Arabic derives from the root "ن-ب-غ" meaning "to grow" or "to be high" and carries connotations of appropriateness, necessity, and obligation.

Should in Western European Languages

Albanianduhet të
The Albanian word "duhet të" also means "needs to" or "is supposed to".
Basquebeharko luke
The Basque word "beharko luke" literally means "it would be necessary," but it is used to express an obligation or necessity.
Catalanhauria
The Catalan word "hauria" comes from the Latin verb "habere" (to have) and originally meant "to be fit or suitable".
Croatiantreba
The verb "treba" in Croatian can also mean "to be necessary" or "it is required".
Danishskulle gerne
Danish "skulle gerne" originally meant "be supposed to" but in modern Danish has come to primarily mean "should".
Dutchzou moeten
In the 19th century, "zou moeten" was also used as an alternative phrasing for "zou kunnen" ("could").
Englishshould
The word "should" derives from the Old English word "sceoldan," which means "to be obliged or compelled."
Frenchdevrait
The French word “devrait” can also refer to “being forced to” or “having the right to.”
Frisiansoene
In the Saterland dialect, "soene" means "to see" instead of "should."
Galiciandebería
“Debería” se utilizaba principalmente en el pasado para la segunda persona del singular del pretérito imperfecto del modo indicativo del verbo “deber”.
Germansollte
"Sollte" can also be used to express a hypothetical situation, such as "Wenn es regnen sollte, nehmen Sie einen Regenschirm mit."
Icelandicætti
"Ætti" also means "grandfather" and "clan"
Irishchóir
In Old Irish, "chóir" also referred to a bond of kinship and legal responsibility.
Italiandovrebbero
"Dovrebbero" derives from the Latin "debere," which can also mean "to owe" or "to be obliged".
Luxembourgishsoll
The Luxembourgish word "soll" can also mean "sun" and "sole", derived from Proto-Germanic roots.
Maltesegħandu
'Għandu' can also mean 'has to' or 'is supposed to' in some contexts.
Norwegianbør
The word "bør" in Norwegian is also used to express obligation or necessity, and carries a stronger sense of urgency than the word "skal".
Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil)devemos
The Portuguese word "devemos" is cognate with the Spanish word "debemos", both derived from the Latin verb "debēre". In English, the verb "owe" is cognate with the Portuguese and Spanish words.
Scots Gaelicbu chòir
Bu chòir derives from the verbs bui "to be" and cheart "to be right".
Spanishdebería
The word "debería" can also mean "to owe" or "to need to do something."
Swedishskall
The word "skall" in Swedish is cognate with "skal" in Norwegian, Danish, and "shall" in English, ultimately derived from Proto-Germanic "skal".
Welshdylai
The word "dylai" in Welsh also means "ought" or "must".

Should in Eastern European Languages

Belarusianпавінна
The word "павінна" also means "must" or "have to" in Belarusian.
Bosniantreba
The word "treba" in Bosnian ultimately derives from a Proto-Slavic verb meaning "need".
Bulgarianтрябва
In addition to its meaning of "must" or "should," "трябва" can also mean "to need" or "to be necessary."
Czechby měl
The word "by měl" ("should") comes from the Proto-Slavic word "*byti", meaning "to be".
Estonianpeaks
The word "peaks" in Estonian also means "points" or "tops".
Finnishpitäisi
The word "pitäisi" is derived from the Proto-Uralic word *pita-, meaning "to hold" or "to keep".
Hungariankellene
The noun usage of "kellene" means "need" or "want" and it is a homonym of the infinitive of the verb "kell" ("have/must").
Latvianvajadzētu
The verb "vajadzētu" is derived from the noun "vajadzība" (need) and the reflexive particle "-ties".
Lithuanianturėtų
"Turėtų" is also one of the two Lithuanian conditional tense auxiliaries (the other being "būtų") used to form sentences such as "Jei būčiau žinojęs, taip nebūčiau pasakęs".
Macedonianтреба
In Old Church Slavonic, "треба" meant "need" and was cognate with the Russian word "надо". In Macedonian, it came to be used in a more general sense, encompassing obligation and necessity.
Polishpowinien
In older Polish, "powinien" meant "bound to" or "owing something to someone".
Romanianar trebui să
In Romanian, "ar trebui să" literally translates to "it ought to be that," suggesting necessity rather than obligation.
Russianдолжен
The Russian term должен ("should") also shares roots with the word долг ("debt"), reflecting the sense of obligation embedded in its meaning.
Serbianтребало би
In some Serbian dialects, "требало би" can also mean "to intend to do something" or "to be necessary."
Slovakby mal
The word "by mal" in Slovak is derived from the Old Slavic word "byti", meaning "to be".
Slovenianbi morali
Bi morali can also mean to have to in some contexts
Ukrainianповинен
In Ukrainian, the word "повинен" (povinen) can also refer to "being obligated or duty-bound".

Should in South Asian Languages

Bengaliউচিত
উচিত (উচ্ছিত), উচচ, উদচ্য, উদগ, উদার উদারতার বিভিন্ন রূপ।
Gujaratiજોઈએ
"જોઈએ" can also mean "be necessary" or "require".
Hindiचाहिए
The word "chahiye" is derived from the Sanskrit word "iccha" meaning "desire" or "wish."
Kannadaಮಾಡಬೇಕು
In the Kannada language, the word "ಮಾಡಬೇಕು" can also mean "must" or "have to".
Malayalamചെയ്യണം
The Malayalam word "ചെയ്യണം" has an alternative meaning of "must" or "have to."
Marathiपाहिजे
The word "पाहिजे" also has the potential meanings of "there is a need for" or "it is necessary for" in Marathi.
Nepaliहुनु पर्छ
'हुनु पर्छ' is the passive form of 'हुनुपर्छ' ('must') and is used formally to indicate obligation or necessity.
Punjabiਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ
Sinhala (Sinhalese)කළ යුතුයි
The word "කළ යුතුයි" can also mean "is supposed to" or "is required to" depending on the context.
Tamilவேண்டும்
The word "வேண்டும்" (vēṇṭum) also means "to be necessary" and "to be required" in Tamil.
Teluguఉండాలి
The word "ఉండాలి" ("should") in Telugu is derived from the verb "ఉండు" ("to be"), indicating necessity or obligation.
Urduچاہئے
The word "چاہئے" can also mean "to want" or "to need".

Should in East Asian Languages

Chinese (Simplified)应该
该 in 应该 can be used as an adjective meaning 'this' or 'the one', or as a pronoun meaning 'it' or 'the one'
Chinese (Traditional)應該
The word 應該 (yīnggāi) is also used to express obligation or expectation, and can be translated as "must" or "ought to" in English.
Japaneseすべき
The word "すべき" (should) in Japanese derives from the verb "す" (to do), indicating an obligation or a task that needs to be completed.
Korean할까요
In addition to its meaning of "should," "할까요" can also mean "do you want to do this with me?" or "how about doing this?"
Mongolianёстой
The word "ёстой" in Mongolian can alternatively mean to "fit".
Myanmar (Burmese)သင့်တယ်

Should in South East Asian Languages

Indonesiansebaiknya
'Sebaiknya' literally means 'better', but is idiomatically used as an adverb to express advice or obligation.
Javanesekudune
The word "kudune" derives from the Sanskrit "kudhi" and can also mean "must".
Khmerគួរ
The Khmer word គួរ "should" is also used in the sense of "deserving" or "fit".
Laoຄວນ
The Lao word "ຄວນ" also means "to be appropriate" or "to be necessary".
Malaysemestinya
Although the word "semestinya" directly translates to "should," it shares a root with and is often used synonymously with "mesti" (must).
Thaiควร
"ควร" has a similar double role in Thai, where it means both "should" and "worthwhile," which is why "ควรค่า" ("khur-khăa") means "worthiness."
Vietnamesenên
In Sino-Vietnamese, "nên" also means to dye, to paint, or to paste.
Filipino (Tagalog)dapat

Should in Central Asian Languages

Azerbaijaniolmalıdır
In Turkish, "olmalıdır" also means "is required" or "must be done."
Kazakhкерек
The Kazakh word “керек” (“should”) originates from the word “кереу” (“be required”), which is derived from the Proto-Turkic word *ker-, meaning “need”.
Kyrgyzкерек
The Kyrgyz word "керек" can also mean "need" or "necessity".
Tajikбояд
The word "бояд" comes from the Persian word "باید" (bāyad), which means "it is necessary" or "it is obligatory."}
Turkmenetmeli
Uzbekkerak
The word "kerak" is derived from the Proto-Turkic word "kerek" meaning "necessary", and can also mean "need" or "requirement" in Uzbek.
Uyghurلازىم

Should in Pacific Languages

Hawaiianpono
In Hawaiian, "pono" also implies righteousness, correctness, and balance.
Maorikia
The word "kia" can also mean "in order to" or "so that" depending on the context.
Samoantatau
The word "tatau" also means "to be able to do something" or "to be capable of doing something" in Samoan.
Tagalog (Filipino)dapat
"Dapat" in Tagalog also means "must" or "to deserve" and comes from the Sanskrit word "yuj" meaning "to join" or "to be connected to".

Should in American Indigenous Languages

Aymaralurañapa
Guaraniva'erã

Should in International Languages

Esperantodevus
"Devo" is also the first-person singular present tense of the verb "devi" (to owe).
Latinnequaquam ut
The term "nequaquam ut" can also mean "by no means" in Latin, denoting a strong negation.

Should in Others Languages

Greekπρέπει
"Πρέπει" comes from the verb "πρέπειν" meaning to "be fitting" or "appropriate". The form used to express obligation in modern Greek is the ancient participle neuter plural form.
Hmongyuav tsum
The Hmong modal verb "yuav tsum" has alternate meanings of "must" and "have to".
Kurdishdivêt
Despite its primary meaning of "should," "divêt" can also serve as a conjunction denoting "if."
Turkishmeli
The Turkish word "meli" is cognate with the Arabic word "wajib", which also means "should".
Xhosakufanele
Kufanele is also used in the sense of "to be adequate or sufficient"}
Yiddishזאָל
The Yiddish word "זאָל" ("zol") derives from the Middle High German word "sol" and cognate to the English word "shall".
Zulukufanele
Kufanele also means 'to be worthy' and 'to deserve' in Zulu.
Assameseshould
Aymaralurañapa
Bhojpuriचाहीं
Dhivehiޖެހޭނީ
Dogriचाहिदा
Filipino (Tagalog)dapat
Guaraniva'erã
Ilocanokasapulan
Krio
Kurdish (Sorani)پێویستە
Maithiliचाहिए
Meiteilon (Manipuri)ꯇꯧꯒꯗꯕꯅꯤ꯫
Mizotur
Oromota'uu qaba
Odia (Oriya)କରିବା ଉଚିତ
Quechuakanan tiyan
Sanskritस्यात्‌
Tatarтиеш
Tigrinyaይሓይሽ
Tsongafanele

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