How to Say ‘What should I do?’ in Japanese
どうすればいいですか
dou sure ba ii desu ka
[doh soo-reh bah ee dess kah]
💬 Usage Tip: [どうすればいいですか] literally follows the pattern "if I do what, is it good?" and is the natural way to ask "What should I do?" You can use it in many situations, like [遅れそうなときは、どうすればいいですか].
Phrase Breakdown
どう
dou
[doh]
how; what
Used to ask what should be done.
どうすればいいですか。
What should I do?
すれ
sure
[soo-reh]
if do
Part of すれば, meaning 'if [I] do' or 'what if [I] do.'
どうすればいいですか。
What should I do?
ば
ba
[bah]
if
Completes the conditional form すれば, meaning 'if [one] does.'
どうすればいいですか。
What should I do?
いい
ii
[ee]
good; okay
Here it means 'would be good' or 'should' in the phrase どうすればいいですか.
どうすればいいですか。
What should I do?
です
desu
[dess]
is; polite copula
A polite element used in questions and statements.
どうすればいいですか。
What should I do?
か
ka
[kah]
question marker
Makes the sentence a polite question.
どうすればいいですか。
What should I do?
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