shall
Americanauxiliary verb
present singular 1st person
shall,2nd
shall,2nd
shalt,3rd
shall,present plural
shall,past singular 1st person
should,2nd
should,2nd
shouldst, shouldest,3rd
should,past plural
should-
plan to, intend to, or expect to.
I shall go later.
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will have to, is determined to, or definitely will.
You shall do it. He shall do it.
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(in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to.
The meetings of the council shall be public.
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(used interrogatively in questions, often in invitations).
Shall we go?
verb
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used as an auxiliary to make the future tense Compare will 1
we shall see you tomorrow
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used as an auxiliary to indicate determination on the part of the speaker, as in issuing a threat
you shall pay for this!
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used as an auxiliary to indicate compulsion, now esp in official documents
the Tenant shall return the keys to the Landlord
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used as an auxiliary to indicate certainty or inevitability
our day shall come
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(with any noun or pronoun as subject, esp in conditional clauses or clauses expressing doubt) used as an auxiliary to indicate nonspecific futurity
I don't think I shall ever see her again
he doubts whether he shall be in tomorrow
Usage
The usual rule given for the use of shall and will is that where the meaning is one of simple futurity, shall is used for the first person of the verb and will for the second and third: I shall go tomorrow; they will be there now. Where the meaning involves command, obligation, or determination, the positions are reversed: it shall be done; I will definitely go. However, shall has come to be largely neglected in favour of will, which has become the commonest form of the future in all three persons
Commonly Confused
The traditional rule of usage guides dates from the 17th century and says that to denote future time shall is used in the first person ( I shall leave. We shall go ) and will in all other persons ( You will be there, won't you? He will drive us to the airport. They will not be at the meeting ). The rule continues that to express determination, will is used in the first person ( We will win the battle ) and shall in the other two persons ( You shall not bully us. They shall not pass ). Whether this rule was ever widely observed is doubtful. Today, will is used overwhelmingly in all three persons and in all types of speech and writing both for the simple future and to express determination. Shall has some use in all persons, chiefly in formal writing or speaking, to express determination: I shall return. We shall overcome. Shall also occurs in the language of laws and directives: All visitors shall observe posted regulations. Most educated native users of American English do not follow the textbook rule in making a choice between shall and will. See also should.
Etymology
Origin of shall
First recorded before 900; Middle English shal, Old English sceal; cognate with Old Saxon skal, Old High German scal, Old Norse skal; compare German soll, Dutch zal
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
"I just thought, what shall I do?"
From BBC
"Sharing of user data collected on WhatsApp with other Meta companies or Meta company products for purposes other than for providing WhatsApp services shall not be made a condition for users to access WhatsApp service in India," the affidavit said.
From BBC
"All future policy updates shall also comply with these requirements," it added.
From BBC
She claims that she and Charlie often spoke not just of politics but of more intimate matters, including shared, shall we say, spiritual capabilities—third eye, astral projecting, that kind of thing.
From Slate
It was probably Leah who suggested, “Shall Mr. Clark now ask questions?”
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
