shall and will
what the differenc to shall and will?
6 Answers
what the differenc to shall and will?
Everyone gave you great examples and in terms of definition I have nothing to add. I do however, have some comments about real-life usage.
On a day-to-day conversational basis I rarely, if ever, hear anyone use shall. and I certainly don't use it myself. And if I do, it's so rare I don't even remember using it.
Looking at some of the examples given above, here's I would say them in everyday conversation:
Shall we cross (the road) now? -- Should we cross (the road) now? -- Are we ready to cross (the road) now?
As we shall see… -- As you'll see... -- As we'll see....
I shall tell her tomorrow -- I'll tell her tomorrow
I shall be in touch with you again shortly. -- I'll be in touch with you again shortly.
I shall help ! Could imply a condition , - I shall help you if you help me. -- I'll help. / I'll help you if you help me.
Keep in mind I'm talking about American English and my personal experiences. It would sound strange to me to hear someone use the word shall on regular basis. But that's just my opinion, I'm not sure about everyone else.
I will help you ! is definite , there are no conditions expressed .
I shall help ! Could imply a condition , - I shall help you if you help me.
But there is no real differences , but when I talk of the future I would be inclined to use 'will'
When forming the future tense, you can get away with using just 'will' and ignoring 'shall'. However, if you need to placate some grammar pedants, then you should use shall when the subject is I or we. (Note: When posing questions using I or we, you should use shall. E.g., Shall we dance?).
If you wanted to convey that something must happen (typically out of a sense of duty), then you can swap shall for will (and vice versa), but this nuance is very likely to go unnoticed .
From my dictionary
NOTA
Will es un Modal al que sigue un infinitivo sin to, y las oraciones interrogativas y negativas se construyen sin el auxiliar do.
1 (para formar el futuro)
I’ll do it tomorrow. Lo haré mañana.
NOTA
Shall es un Modal al que sigue un infinitivo sin to, y las oraciones interrogativas y negativas se construyen sin el auxiliar do.(esp GB)
1 (para formar el futuro)
As we shall see… Como veremos…
I shall tell her tomorrow. Se lo diré mañana.
I shall be in touch with you again shortly. Te llamaré o te veré dentro de poco.
In my opinion
will is more of a prediction unless stressed when speaking
and
shall is more of a promise
or used like this
Shall we cross (the road) now?
Crucemos ahora?
The usages as described by Ray and TomTom2 are correct. I wanted to add a little from my experience in American English usage. Using "shall" generally makes is more formal. As in TomTomTwo's example: "Shall we dine at 4 o'clock?" sounds more formal and elegant than "Do you want to dine at 4 o'clock?"
Both will and shall can convey duty, or requirement to do something especially when used with you . "You will (shall) complete the task in the allotted time."
And in the negative "Shall not" implies "it is forbidden": "You shall not kill."
Spoken English seems to prefer contractions so will and shall will just be 'll. "You'll do it or else!" (meaning you will do it and if you don't there will be negative consequences) "We'll see about that!" In the second example if I weren't using a contraction I would say "We shall see about that!"
The usage is basically subtle and something you have to experience to feel comfortable with.
My Spanish teacher asks me this all the time. As Ray says. Generally for the future use will, however for a question you can use shall if you want to. Shall we dine at 4 o'clock ? Shall we watch the football and then go and have a quick riot ?
what the differenc to shall and will?
Minor correction, it should be:
"What's the difference between shall and will?
