Page 431 - Basic Japanese

Rōmaji de kakeba ii deshō.

You ought to write it in Roman letters.

Dare mo inakattara dō sureba ii deshō ka.
If no one is there, what should I do?

Sometimes an English equivalent might include the

expression ‘better’ or ‘had better,’ but this is often closer to
the Japanese expression discussed in the next section.

8.13. ‘Had better’

One way of giving advice in English is to say things like

‘You’d better do like this,’ ‘I better be there before the
teacher arrives.’ In such sentences, there is usually the
slight implication that a comparison is being made—it would

be better to do something than not to do it. The nearest
Japanese equivalent is the plain perfect + hō ‘alternative’ +

some form of the adjective ii ‘is good’:

Netto de katta hō ga ii deshō.
I think you’d better buy it online.

Dekirudake hayaku byōin ni itta hō ga ii to omoimasu yo.
I think you’d better go to the hospital as soon as

possible.