Grammar Info

N3 Lesson 1: 7/22

べきMust, Should , Ought to

する → すべき or するべき

Structure

Verb + べき + だ
Verb + べき + Noun
［い］Adjective + くある + べき + だ
［な］Adjective + である + べき + だ
Noun + である + べき + だ

Exceptions:
する ￫ す（る）べき

Details

  • Register

    Standard

  • Rare Kanji

    可き

About べき

The auxiliary verb べき, being the attributive form of べし, is a structure in Japanese that is often paired with verbs to express that something 'ought to be done'. It implies some sort of moral obligation, or that (A) is the only reasonable course of action. This comes from the kanji 可(べ)き, which carries the meaning of being something 'permissible' (indicating that any other action would not be acceptable).

べき will be paired with the plain (non-past) form of a verb, before being followed by either だ, or another noun.

べき is also sometimes translated as 'must do (A)', or 'should do (A)' but it is important to remember that it will always have the nuance of being the only 'permissible' choice, and is therefore very strong.

Caution

It is important to note that the verb appearing with べき cannot be in past tense, and you will need to use だった or でした after べき, if you would like to say that something 'ought to have been done' in the past.

  • やばいやばい、車(くるま)が止(と)まりそう！高速(こうそく)に乗(の)る前(まえ)にガソリンを入(い)れておくべきだった。
    This is not good… ahhh not good, the car is about to stop! I should have filled the car up with gasoline before I got on the highway.
  • 大変(たいへん)申(もう)し訳(わけ)ございません。こちらがもっと早(はや)く気(き)づくべきでした。
    We are very sorry. We should have noticed this earlier.

Fun Fact

In modern Japanese, there are only 18 auxiliary verbs, of which べき is not one. べし (the standard form) is considered to be a classical auxiliary verb. Due to this, べき (and べし) are often referred to as classical auxiliary verbs.

Fun Fact

The combination of する and べき is a rare grammatical exception in Japanese, in which two forms are both considered equally correct. Due to this, either するべき, or すべき may be used.

  • 結婚(けっこん)する前(まえ)に相手(あいて)と将来(しょうらい)の話(はな)しをするべきだ。
    Before marrying, you should talk about the future with your partner.
  • 家族(かぞく)は何(なに)があっても大切(たいせつ)にすべきだ。
    You should prioritize family no matter what happens.

Examples

--:--

    税金(ぜいきん)を払(はら)う可(べ)きです。

    You should pay taxes.

    考(かんが)える可(べ)きことが多(おお)すぎて、頭(あたま)が痛(いた)い。

    There are too many things I should think about, so my head hurts.

    言(い)う可(べ)きことを言(い)うのは親(おや)の義務(ぎむ)だ。

    Saying things that you should say is a duty of a parent.

    誰(だれ)も見(み)ていなくても、法律(ほうりつ)は守(まも)る可(べ)きだ。

    Even when no one is looking, you should obey the law.

    明日(あした)の会議(かいぎ)は重大(じゅうだい)な話(はなし)があるので、出席(しゅっせき)をする可(べ)きだ。

    Because we will talk about something important at tomorrow's meeting, everyone should attend.

  • Get more example sentences!

    Premium users get access to 12 example sentences on all Grammar Points.

Self-Study Sentences

Study your own way!

Add sentences and study them alongside Bunpro sentences.

べき – Grammar Discussion

Most Recent Replies (19 in total)

  • bokudake

    bokudake

    I also don’t see how to distinguish between ばいい, べき, …

    明日()の会議()は重大()な話()があるので、出席()をするべきだ。
    Because we will talk about something important at tomorrow’s meeting, everyone should attend.

    The above sounds like an obligation.
    But, during the review there was a hint “Advice”. An advice is not a moral obligation in my understanding and seeing the hint I thought すればいい would be appropriate. But べき was expected instead.

  • nekoyama

    nekoyama

    べき is stronger, but it can still be advice. It doesn’t have to be a moral obligation. In this case it’s just practical advice based on a strong reason.

    すればいい doesn’t fit in the gap because of the following だ.

  • bokudake

    bokudake

    Judging by examples of べき I’ve encountered and the example sentences what you say is true.
    Why is だ not allowed after すればいい?

Got questions about べき? Join us to discuss, ask, and learn together!

Join the Discussion