# shall

Pronunciation: say "SHAL" /ˈʃæl/

## Verb

1. Used with you, he, they and the like to express determination or a promise, or obligation in rules and contracts.
   - Simple: Used with 'you', 'he', 'she' or 'they' to say firmly that something will happen or must happen.
   - _He shall be given a fair trial._
   - _The tenant shall keep the garden tidy._
2. Used in first-person questions to offer or suggest an action, or to ask what the listener wants done.
   - Simple: Used in questions with 'I' or 'we' to offer or suggest something, or to ask what to do.
   - _Shall we dance?_
   - _I'll carry that, shall I?_
3. Simple future with 'I' and 'we' in the traditional rule ('I shall sing in the choir tomorrow'), now formal.
   - Simple: Used with 'I' or 'we' to talk about the future, in a formal way.
   - _I shall write to them today._
   - _We shall arrive in Boston shortly after noon, assuming the trains run on time._

## Verb

4. To owe, in the verb's original use as a full verb taking an object. *(obsolete)*
   - Simple: To owe something to someone.

## 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."

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/shall (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).