# Will and Shall

https://langs123.com/en/english/modals/will-shall/
CEFR B2–C2 · 2026-10-19 · CC BY 4.0, langs123 contributors (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

> Will for assumption, habit, willingness and refusal; shall for offers and suggestions with I and we, and for formal duty. Will guesses what is true now, and shall asks what to do: That'll be Tom at the door. Shall we wait?

## Cheatsheet

| Point | Rule | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Assumption | will guesses what is true now, from what the speaker knows | That'll be Tom at the door. / She won't be home yet. |
| Habit | what is always or typically true | Oil will float on water. / He will sit there for hours. |
| Willingness | will is willing, won't refuses, for people and things | The shop will change it. / The car won't start. |
| Request | Will you…? asks directly, Would you…? is softer | Will you open the window? |
| Shall question | Shall + I / we + V offers, suggests or asks what to do | Shall I open the window? / Let's go, shall we? |
| Guess in progress | will be + V-ing guesses what is happening now | Don't call yet. They'll be having dinner. |
| Guess about the past | will have + past participle guesses about something finished | You'll have heard the news. |
| Persistent habit | stressed will shows an annoying habit | He will keep interrupting. |
| Formal shall | shall after I or we, and in rules and promises | I shall be there. / Passengers shall not smoke. |
| Legal shall | shall states a duty on any subject in laws and contracts | The tenant shall pay the rent monthly. / Thou shalt not steal. |
| Command | will gives an order as a fact; will do accepts it | You will report at nine. |
| Trap | an offer with I takes shall | Shall I carry your bag? |

## Form: will and shall

| Form | Pattern | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Statement | subject + will / 'll + V | That'll be the postman. |
| Negative | subject + won't / will not + V | He won't be at work today. |
| Question with shall | Shall + I / we + V | Shall I carry your bag? (US: Should I carry your bag?) |
| Continuous | subject + will be + V-ing | He'll be working late again. |
| Perfect | subject + will have + past participle | He'll have missed the bus. |
| Statement with shall | I / we + shall + V | I shall call you tomorrow. |
| Negative with shall | I / we + shall not / shan't + V | We shan't be long. (US: won't) |
| Shall with any subject | subject + shall + V | The seller shall deliver the goods in May. |

- Plans, decisions, offers and predictions with will are in Future Forms.
- 'll is the short form of both will and shall: We'll tell you on Monday.

## Pronunciation: will, shall and shan't

| Form | Sound | Example |
| --- | --- | --- |
| shall (weak, in questions) | /ʃəl/ | Shall I help? /ʃəl aɪ ˈhelp/ |
| will (stressed) | /wɪl/ | He will keep interrupting. /hi ˈwɪl kiːp ˌɪntəˈrʌptɪŋ/ |
| shan't | /ʃɑːnt/ (US: /ʃænt/) | We shan't be long. /wi ˈʃɑːnt bi ˈlɒŋ/ |

- Stressed will keeps its full vowel; writing shows the stress with italics or capitals.

## Use: assumptions

| Use | Example |
| --- | --- |
| A guess about the present from what the speaker knows (will) | That'll be Tom at the door. / You'll be tired after the flight. |
| A guess that something is not yet true (won't) | She won't be home yet. |
| A guess about what is happening now (will be + V-ing) | Don't call yet. They'll be having dinner. / She'll be waiting at the station by now. |
| A guess about something finished (will have + past participle) | You'll have heard the news. / They'll have arrived by now. |

- Words such as yet and by now often mark a guess about the present: They'll be home by now.
- won't have + past participle guesses that something has not happened yet: She won't have seen my message yet.

## Use: habits

| Use | Example |
| --- | --- |
| General truths: what always happens (will) | Oil will float on water. / Accidents will happen. |
| Typical behaviour of a person or thing (will) | He will sit there for hours. / The dog will bark at every visitor. |
| A persistent habit the speaker finds annoying (stressed will) | He will keep interrupting. / She will leave her cup on the stairs. |
| A saying about human nature (will) | Boys will be boys. / People will talk. |

- A habit in the past takes would: see Would.
- Habit will describes typical behaviour; routines take the present simple: see Simple Tenses.

## Use: willingness, refusal and command

| Use | Example |
| --- | --- |
| Willingness: the subject is ready to act (will) | I will help you move. / The shop will change it for you. |
| A request (Will you…?) | Will you give me a hand? / Will you tell her I called? |
| Refusal by a person (won't) | She won't listen to anyone. |
| A thing that fails to work (won't) | The car won't start. / The door won't open. |
| Firm determination (will, often stressed) | I will not tolerate it. / We will finish this today. |
| An impatient command (Will you please…?) | Will you please be quiet? ↘ / Will you stop that noise? |
| An order given as a statement of fact (you will) | You will report at nine. / Cadets will wear uniform at all times. |
| Short replies that accept an order or a request (will do, shall do) | Text me when you land. — Will do. / Please lock the door. — Shall do. |
| A short reply that refuses (won't do) | Wear the tie, please. — Won't do. |

- An order with you will comes from someone with authority and expects no refusal.

## Use: shall

| Use | Example |
| --- | --- |
| An offer to do something (Shall + I + V) | Shall I carry that for you? / Shall I open the door? (US: Should I open the door?) |
| A suggestion (Shall + we + V) | Shall we eat out tonight? |
| A question about what to do (what shall, where shall) | What shall we cook tonight? / Where shall I put my coat? |
| A tag after let's | Let's start, shall we? |
| A formal statement of intention with I or we | I shall be there at nine. / We shall write to you on Monday. |
| Rules and notices (shall, shall not) | Passengers shall not leave bags unattended. / Members shall pay their fees by March. |
| A promise to someone (you shall) | You shall have your money on Friday. / She shall have the best seat in the house. |
| Laws, contracts and court orders: a duty on any subject (shall) | The accused shall be informed of the charge. / The tenant shall pay the rent monthly. |
| Biblical and literary commands (shalt) | Thou shalt not steal. / Thou shalt love thy neighbour. |

- I shall is formal and mostly British; speech and American English use I will or I'll.

## Compare: will and would for requests

| Point | Will you | Would you |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Meaning | a direct request | a polite, tentative request |
| Spoken to | friends, family and colleagues | strangers, customers and senior people |
| Example | Will you pass the salt? | Would you pass the salt, please? |

- More polite requests, offers and imagined situations are in Would.

## Compare: shall and must in rules

| Point | shall | must |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Style | traditional legal drafting | plain-English drafting |
| Duty | The contractor shall finish the work by June. | The contractor must finish the work by June. |
| Ban | Visitors shall not feed the animals. | Visitors must not feed the animals. |

- Plain-English drafting replaces shall with must for duties, since shall is often unclear.
- Everyday obligation with must is in Must and Have To.

## Typical errors

| ✗ | ✓ | Rule |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Will I carry your bag? | Shall I carry your bag? | an offer with I takes shall |
| Let's start, will we? | Let's start, shall we? | the tag after let's is shall we |
| Shall you open the window? | Will you open the window? | shall in a question takes I or we |
| They will arrive by now. | They'll have arrived by now. | a guess about something finished takes will have + past participle |
| Don't call her now. She will sleep. | Don't call her now. She'll be sleeping. | a guess about an action in progress takes will be + V-ing |
| She shall be here tomorrow. | She will be here tomorrow. | shall after she sounds like a promise or an order; a plain future takes will |