shall

American  

[shal, shuhl] / ʃæl, ʃəl /

auxiliary verb

imperative, infinitive, and participles lacking.

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

1. plan to, intend to, or expect to.

   I shall go later.

2. will have to, is determined to, or definitely will.

   You shall do it. He shall do it.

3. (in laws, directives, etc.) must; is or are obliged to.

   The meetings of the council shall be public.

4. (used interrogatively in questions, often in invitations).

   Shall we go?

---

shall British  

/ ʃəl, ʃæl /

verb

1. used as an auxiliary to make the future tense Compare will 1

   we shall see you tomorrow

2. 1. used as an auxiliary to indicate determination on the part of the speaker, as in issuing a threat

      you shall pay for this!

   2. used as an auxiliary to indicate compulsion, now esp in official documents

      the Tenant shall return the keys to the Landlord

   3. used as an auxiliary to indicate certainty or inevitability

      our day shall come

3. (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

“The following shall be nationals and citizens of the United States at birth: a person born in the United States and subject to the jurisdiction thereof,” the law said.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 1, 2026

When one three-year-old told Gabbo: "I'm sad," it replied: "Don't worry! I'm a happy little bot. Let's keep the fun going. What shall we talk about next?"

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2026

An editor who shall remain nameless told me today that no one seemed to care about the latest consumer price index print—that it was stale data in the wake of rising oil prices.

From Barron's • Mar. 11, 2026

The regulation specifies that “if any licensee shall permit any . . . candidate for any public office to use a broadcasting station,” the station owner “shall afford equal opportunities to all other such candidates.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 8, 2026

And once we get to the farm, we will be warm as toast, and we shall have all the food we can eat.

From "An Elephant in the Garden" by Michael Morpurgo