"What should I do?"
Translation:我应该怎么办?
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1586
Came here to say the same thing.
If you wanted to ask exactly "What should I do?" then the Chinese would be 我应该做什么?
675
怎么办 is correct but very vague. I could be asking you what YOU should do, or asking you what WE should do. It's dependent on the context. You can also say 我该怎么办
777
Why are we saying 怎么 here and not 什么?
If we are asking the question in the sense of 'what should I do (e.g., to resolve a problem)', then I understand 怎么 - we are essentially asking how to accomplish some goal.
But if we are asking 'what should I do (e.g., with the rest of my life)', then its really a question of What, not How... so 什么?
818
I agree - in fact the 'should' (as opposed to simply, 'What to do?' really seems to me to push it in the direction of 什么
1055
In other sentences "what should i do?", "what should we do?" is translated just 怎么办。 Why isn't it accepted here?
1586
In fact, when a Chinese is asking what to do, they typically simply say 怎么办 (or 我怎么办)? The reason 应该 is required in this case is the prompt is asking What should I do.