Structure
Verb + べき + だ
Verb + べき + Noun
Exceptions:
する → す(る)べき
Details
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Standard
使用域
一般
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 will be paired with the plain (non-past) form of a verb, before being followed by either だ, or another noun.
- そういう事は本人に言うべきだ。You ought to say things like that to the person themselves.
- お客さんの意見はちゃんと聞くべきだ。You ought to properly listen to customers' opinions.
- ハマサキさんは尊敬するべき人だ。Hamasaki-san is someone you ought to look up to.
- あなたに教えるべき事はこれで全部です。Of all the things I ought to teach you, this is the last one.
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、車が止まりそう!高速に乗る前にガソリンを入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.
- 大変申し訳ございません。こちらがもっと早く気づくべきでした。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.- 結婚する前に相手と将来の話しをするべきだ。Before marrying, you should talk about the future with your partner.
- 家族は何があっても大切にすべきだ。You should prioritize family no matter what happens.
Synonyms
Antonyms
Examples
痩せたい人は運動をすべきだと思う。
I think people who want to slim down should exercise.
税金を払うべきです。
You should pay taxes.
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.
君が責任を取るべきだ。リーダーなんだから。
You should take responsibility since you are the leader.
この茶碗を買うべきだ。こんな掘り出し物はあまりないよ。
You should buy this bowl. It is not often that you come across such a bargain.
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How to use べき
MaggieSensei
接続・意味・使い方・例文
にほんごの里
Offline
Tobira
Page 260
Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar Guide
Page 306
[AIAIJ] An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
Page 55
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べき – Grammar Discussion
Most Recent Replies (19 in total)
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
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
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?
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