should

Etymology
From, from , first and third person preterite form of , the ancestor of 🇨🇬. . Cognate with 🇨🇬, 🇨🇬. Related to 🇨🇬 and.

Verb

 * 1)  Ought to;
 * You should see his new apartment. It's like a palace!
 * If you think her piano playing is bad, you should hear her sing!
 * 1)  Ought to;
 * 2) Will be likely to (become or do something);
 * 3) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * You should see his new apartment. It's like a palace!
 * If you think her piano playing is bad, you should hear her sing!
 * 1)  Ought to;
 * 2) Will be likely to (become or do something);
 * 3) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * 1)  Ought to;
 * 2) Will be likely to (become or do something);
 * 3) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * 1) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * 1) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * 1) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * 1) * 2008, Peter Michael Higgins, Number Story: From Counting to Cryptography, page 141 (Google Books view):
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * He is noted for coming up with his 'wager', in which he argued that he was prepared to believe in God on the grounds that he had nothing to lose if he was wrong, and everything to gain should he be right.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.
 * It's disgraceful the way that they've treated you. I should write and complain.

Usage notes

 * Should has, as its most common meaning in modern English, the sense ought as in I should go, but I don't see how I can. However, the older sense as the subjunctive of the future indicative auxiliary, shall, is often used with I or we to indicate a more polite form than would: I should like to go, but I can't; Were he to arrive, I should be pleased. In much speech and writing, should has been replaced by would in contexts of this kind, but it remains in conditional subjunctives: should (never would) I go, I should wear my new dress; should he remain, he would be granted asylum.
 * Contrast with stronger auxiliary verb, which indicates that the speaker believes the subject is required to execute the predicate, or have to which indicates that the speaker believes the subject is required to execute, although speaker might disagree with the principle, and should which is merely advice – take it or leave it.
 * Possibility, or probability. Contrast with stronger auxiliary verb in the affirmative, and negative sense , which indicate that there is a logical imperative certainty that the subject will (or will not) execute the predicate. Also compare with the weaker , which indicates at most a 50/50 possibility, or probability.
 * In American English, the present subjunctive is commonly used instead of should (e.g., "suggest that he stay"), while in British English, should is commoner (e.g., "suggest that he should stay"). Both forms of English, however, sometimes use should in certain conditionals (e.g., "If I should be in trouble, I shall call you"). Furthermore, should is not used in independent clauses with the present subjunctive, many of which clauses are now fossilized expressions (e.g., "Peace be with you", "suffice it to say"; never should be or should suffice).
 * See the usage notes at.

Related terms

 * (archaic second-person singular of should)
 * , (contraction of auxiliary phrase should have)

Translations

 * Arabic: يَنْبَغِي أَنْ, مِنْ اَلْمَفْرُوض أَنْ, مِنْ اَلْمُفْتَرَض أَنْ
 * Azerbaijani:, -məli, -malı
 * Belarusian: паві́нен, паві́нна, паві́нны
 * Bengali:
 * Bulgarian:
 * Chinese:
 * Cantonese: 應該
 * Hokkien: ,
 * Mandarin:, ,
 * Cornish: y kodh dhe, y tegoodh dhe
 * Czech: měl by
 * Danish: ,
 * Dutch:, zou moeten
 * Esperanto:
 * Finnish:
 * French: Conditional form of
 * Georgian:
 * German:, ,
 * Greek:
 * Ancient Greek: ὀφείλω
 * Hindi:
 * Hungarian:
 * Icelandic:
 * Japanese:
 * Khmer:
 * Korean: 해야 한다
 * Lao:
 * Latin: oportet,, nefās est,  nōn licet
 * Lithuanian: subjunctive of
 * Macedonian: тре́ба
 * Malay: patut
 * Mongolian:
 * Norwegian:
 * Old English: sċulan
 * Polish:, powinna,
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian:
 * Russian:, , (dative case + )
 * Scots: shud
 * Sorbian:
 * Lower Sorbian: dejaś
 * Spanish: Conditional form of
 * Swedish:
 * Thai:
 * Tibetan:
 * Turkish: -meli, -malı
 * Ukrainian: повинен,
 * Urdu: چاہئے
 * Vietnamese:
 * Welsh:


 * Bengali:
 * Cornish: y tal dhe, y talvia dhe
 * French: Conditional form of
 * Hungarian: kéne,
 * Latin:
 * Norwegian:
 * Bokmål: ,
 * Spanish: Conditional form of
 * Swedish: ,


 * Bengali: ,
 * Bulgarian:
 * Danish:
 * Finnish: use potential mood,
 * Georgian:
 * German:
 * Hungarian:, ,
 * Italian:
 * Latin:
 * Macedonian: тре́ба, би тре́бало
 * Norwegian:
 * Polish:
 * Portuguese:
 * Romanian:
 * Russian: (lit. should be),  (most likely; lit. rather than anything),  (more certainty)
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish: ,
 * Turkish:
 * Ukrainian: повинно, слід
 * Welsh:


 * Hungarian:, ,


 * Bengali:
 * Chinese:
 * Mandarin: : ,
 * Danish:
 * Dutch:
 * Finnish:
 * French:
 * Hungarian: ha …… -na/-ne
 * Macedonian:, до́колку
 * Norwegian:
 * Portuguese: ,
 * Russian: ,
 * Spanish:
 * Swedish: ,
 * Welsh: os


 * Dutch: ,
 * German:

Noun

 * 1) Something that ought to be the case as opposed to already being the case.

Verb

 * 1) To make a statement of what ought to be true, as opposed to reality.