DictionaryAI

shall

verb
SHAL/ˈʃæl/

Formsshall, should

4 meanings of shall

Practice

  1. 1
    promise or ruleverbauxiliarymodal
    Used with you, he, they and the like to express determination or a promise, or obligation in rules and contracts.

    He shall be given a fair trial.

    The tenant shall keep the garden tidy.

    UsageCommon in laws and contracts; in everyday speech, will, must, or have to is used instead.

    Similarwill, must

    Note

    Here the speaker's will falls on someone else. "You shall go to the ball" is a promise the speaker means to make good, not a forecast. The King James Bible of 1611 uses it for prophecy: "there shall be no night there". In rules, "citizens shall provide proof of identity" states a duty.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 2 facts

    • The King James Bible was first published in 1611. bridwell.omeka.net
    • The King James Bible contains “there shall be no night there” in its prophetic account, at Revelation 21:25. en.wikisource.org
  2. 2
    verbauxiliarymodal
    Used in first-person questions to offer or suggest an action, or to ask what the listener wants done.

    Shall we dance?

    I'll carry that, shall I?

    UsageShall I offers help and shall we suggests doing something together. After let's, the tag is shall we?

    Note

    Questions with shall hand the decision to the listener. "What shall I do?" asks for advice, and "Shall I give you a hand?" offers help.

  3. 3
    verbauxiliarymodal
    Simple future with 'I' and 'we' in the traditional rule ('I shall sing in the choir tomorrow'), now formal.

    I shall write to them today.

    We shall arrive in Boston shortly after noon, assuming the trains run on time.

    UsageIn everyday English, will (or the short form 'll) is usually used instead.

    Similarwill

    Note

    A future that began as a debt: Old English sċeal goes back to a root meaning "to owe, be under obligation", so what I shall do was first what I was bound to do. Baum still writes "I shall give it to the King of the Monkeys" in 1900.

    Checked 2 Nov 2026 · 4 facts

    • Old English sċeal descends from a root meaning 'to owe, be under obligation'. en.wiktionary.org
    • The future auxiliary developed from a verb expressing indebtedness or obligation. en.wikipedia.org
    • Baum wrote the quoted words in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, where Glinda speaks them. gutenberg.org
    • The work containing the quotation was first published in 1900. en.wikipedia.org

Less common meaning

  1. 4
    verbobsoleteauxiliarymodal
    To owe, in the verb's original use as a full verb taking an object.
    Note

    The meaning the auxiliary grew from goes back to Proto-Indo-European *skel-, "to owe, be under obligation". As a full verb it took the person owed and the debt as its objects, and its past was should. The sense is long dead, so modern English says owe. The obligation lives on in the commanding shall.

    Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 4 facts

Practice

Can you tell the meanings of shall apart? Answer 4 quick questions from this page, or write your own sentence and AI will check it.

Origin

From Middle English "schal," from Old English "sċeal" ("should, must"), from Proto-West Germanic and Proto-Germanic forms, ultimately from the Proto-Indo-European root *skel- ("to owe, be under obligation"). It is related to Dutch "zal," German "soll," and Swedish "skall."

Checked 31 Oct 2026 · 5 facts

  • Shall derives from Middle English schal, from Old English sċeal, meaning should or must. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Old English verb descends through Proto-West Germanic from Proto-Germanic. en.wiktionary.org
  • The Germanic ancestor derives from Proto-Indo-European *skel-, meaning to owe or be under obligation. en.wiktionary.org
  • Shall is cognate with Dutch zal and German soll. en.wikipedia.org
  • Shall is cognate with Swedish skall. en.wiktionary.org