Breakdown of wǒmen yīnggāi bǎohù huánjìng.
Questions & Answers about wǒmen yīnggāi bǎohù huánjìng.
Yes, the word order is very similar to English.
- 我们 – subject: we
- 应该 – modal verb: should / ought to
- 保护 – main verb: protect
- 环境 – object: the environment
Pattern: Subject + Modal Verb + Main Verb + Object
So 我们应该保护环境 directly matches We should protect (the) environment in order: 我们 (we) 应该 (should) 保护 (protect) 环境 (environment).
In this sentence, 应该 mainly expresses a moral obligation or responsibility: should / ought to.
- 我们应该保护环境 → We should / ought to protect the environment (it is the right thing to do)
应该 can also sometimes mean “probably / I think it should be…”, for example:
- 他现在应该在家。 – He should be at home now / he’s probably at home now.
But in your sentence, because it’s talking about a general duty, it’s understood as “should / ought to”, not “probably.”
These all express some kind of necessity, but with different strength and feeling:
应该 – “should, ought to”
- Suggests moral duty, advice, or what is correct.
- Softer than “must.”
- 我们应该保护环境。 – We should protect the environment.
要 – “need to, have to, going to” (context decides)
- Can be necessity or a plan/intent.
- 我们要保护环境。 – Often feels like We must protect the environment or We’re going to protect the environment.
得 (děi) – “have to, must” (informal)
- Strong necessity, often spoken.
- 我们得保护环境。 – We have to protect the environment.
必须 – “must” (very strong, formal or serious)
- Strong obligation, no choice.
- 我们必须保护环境。 – We must protect the environment.
So 应该 is relatively gentle and often used for moral/ethical “should”.
Yes, in many contexts you can drop 我们 and say just 应该保护环境.
- In posters, slogans, and general statements, the subject is often understood as “everyone / people in general.”
- 应该保护环境。 on a sign would read as: We/Everyone should protect the environment.
In a normal conversation, if it’s already clear who you’re talking about, native speakers may omit the subject as well. But if it’s not obvious who should protect the environment, keeping 我们 makes it clearer: 我们应该保护环境。
Chinese does not use articles like “a / an / the.”
The noun 环境 by itself can mean:
- the environment
- our environment
- (the) surrounding environment in general
Which meaning you use depends on context, not on a separate word. So:
- 我们应该保护环境。
is naturally understood as
We should protect *the environment.*
No extra word like “the” is needed or added.
Chinese verbs do not change form for tense (no conjugation like protect / protected / will protect).
- 保护 is just “protect”, and its time reference comes from:
- context,
- time words (昨天, 明天, 现在, etc.),
- or additional phrases.
我们应该保护环境 is a general statement of principle, so it doesn’t specify past, present, or future—it means “(We) should protect the environment (in general / always).”
If you wanted to say “We should have protected the environment (but we didn’t)”, you’d add other words, for example:
- 我们本来应该保护环境的。 – We were originally supposed to protect the environment (but didn’t).
- 我们早就应该保护环境了。 – We should have protected the environment long ago.
保护 (bǎohù) is treated as one verb meaning “to protect.”
- You cannot split it and put the object in between:
- ✗ 保环境护 – incorrect
- ✓ 保护环境 – correct
Unlike some verb–object structures in Chinese (like 吃饭, which can be split: 吃很多饭), 保护 is a fixed disyllabic verb and is not normally separated in everyday usage.
You can, however, use related structures like:
- 对环境进行保护 – to carry out protection *on the environment* (more formal).
You can say 我们要保护环境, but the nuance changes slightly.
我们应该保护环境。
– Emphasizes moral obligation / what is right.
– We should protect the environment (it’s the right thing to do).我们要保护环境。
– Can sound more like a plan, intention, or a stronger “must”, depending on context.
– We must / we need to / we’re going to protect the environment.
In many everyday contexts, both are acceptable and may be translated simply as “We should / must protect the environment,” but 应该 highlights “ought to,” while 要 often feels more like “have to / going to.”
Yes–no question with 吗:
- 我们应该保护环境吗？
Should we protect the environment?
- 我们应该保护环境吗？
A-not-A question with 应不应该:
- 我们应不应该保护环境？
Should we or shouldn’t we protect the environment? (more emphasis, invites discussion)
- 我们应不应该保护环境？
Negative statement:
- 我们不应该破坏环境。 – We should not damage the environment.
- 我们不应该污染环境。 – We should not pollute the environment.
Note that for negating 应该, you normally say 不应该, not 应该不.
环境 is broader than just “natural environment.” It means:
- surroundings / environment in general:
- 学习环境 – learning environment
- 工作环境 – work environment
- natural environment / ecological environment:
- 保护环境 – protect the (natural) environment
- 环境污染 – environmental pollution
In 我们应该保护环境, context (and common usage) makes it clear that it refers to the natural environment / our ecological environment.
Pinyin with tones:
- 我们 – wǒmen
- 我 (wǒ) – 3rd tone
- 们 (men) – neutral tone (轻声)
- 应该 – yīnggāi
- 应 (yīng) – 1st tone
- 该 (gāi) – 1st tone
- 保护 – bǎohù
- 保 (bǎo) – 3rd tone
- 护 (hù) – 4th tone
- 环境 – huánjìng
- 环 (huán) – 2nd tone
- 境 (jìng) – 4th tone
In this sentence, there is no 3rd-tone sandhi between consecutive 3rd tones (they’re not next to each other), so tones stay as written. 们 is pronounced with a neutral tone, lighter and shorter than a full tone.
It is neutral, but it’s also very typical of textbooks, speeches, and slogans. You might see it:
- in school materials,
- in government or NGO campaigns,
- on posters.
In casual conversation, people might say something a bit longer or more specific, like:
- 我们真的应该好好保护环境。 – We really should take good care of the environment.
- 大家都应该保护环境。 – Everyone should protect the environment.
But 我们应该保护环境 itself is completely natural and correct.