Should 1

Should for Advice and Opinions

You should do something = it is a good thing to do or the right thing to do. Use should to give advice or to give an opinion.

• You look exhausted. You should go home and rest.
• The team should spend more time on quality checks before releasing updates.
• ”Should we book the conference room for Monday?” “Yes, I think we should.”

You shouldn’t do something = it is not a good thing to do.

• You shouldn’t believe everything you read in internal memos without checking the source.
• She shouldn’t skip the weekly standup — the whole team depends on it.

Should with I think / I don’t think / Do you think?

We often use should with I think, I don’t think, and Do you think?

• I think the company should invest more in employee training.
• I don’t think you should work overtime every night.
• “Do you think I should apply for the transfer?” “Yes, I think you should.”

Should Is Not as Strong as Must

Should is weaker than must or have to. Compare:

Sentence	Meaning
You should apologise to the client.	It would be a good thing to do.
You must apologise to the client.	You have no choice — it is required.

Something Is Not Right or Not What We Expect

Use should when something is not right, or not what you expect:

• Where’s the shipment? It should be here by now. (= it hasn’t arrived yet, and that is not normal)
• The price on this invoice is wrong. It should be €2,500, not €3,500.

We also use should to say that we expect something to happen:

• Priya has prepared very well for the presentation, so she should do fine. (= I expect her to do fine)
• There are plenty of suppliers in the area. It shouldn’t be hard to find a replacement. (= I don’t expect it to be hard)

Should Have Done (Past)

You should have done something = you didn’t do it, but it would have been a good thing to do.

• You missed a great networking event last night. You should have come. Why didn’t you?
• They’re very late. They should have been here an hour ago.

You shouldn’t have done something = you did it, but it wasn’t a good thing to do.

• I feel sick. I shouldn’t have eaten so much at the company dinner.
• She shouldn’t have been listening to our conversation. It was confidential.

Compare should do (present/future) and should have done (past):

Now / future	Past
You look tired. You should go home now.	You stayed at the office until midnight. You should have gone home earlier.
He should back up his files.	He lost his work. He should have backed up his files.

Ought to

You can use ought to instead of should. The meaning is the same. We say ought to do (with to):

• Do you think I ought to apply for that position? (= Do you think I should apply?)
• He ought not to stay so late at the office every night. (= He shouldn’t stay so late)
• It was a great event. You ought to have come. (= You should have come)

Quick Self-Check