该…了 — “it’s time to …”
Pattern: (S) 该 + V + 了
该 + verb + 了 says it’s time to do something: 该睡觉了 “it’s time for bed”, 我该走了 “I should get going”. It also says whose turn it is: 该你了 “your turn”.
Examples
| 1 | 该睡觉了。 gāi shuìjiào le It’s time for bed. |
| 2 | 我该走了。 wǒ gāi zǒu le I should get going. |
| 3 | 十二点了，该吃午饭了。 shí'èr diǎn le gāi chī wǔfàn le It’s twelve, time for lunch. |
Explanations and examples by Zitou. Pinyin added automatically and checked.