Practice
Shall and will: understand modern English usage
Sign in to saveWill you need an umbrella tomorrow? In ordinary conversation, will is usually the useful choice. Shall still appears in offers, suggestions, and some formal language.
Choose shall or will for predictions, decisions, offers, suggestions, and polite questions, while recognising that will is more common in everyday English.
Read and practice
Read the examples and try the written questions in this guide. Listening recordings are not available for this lesson yet.
Try the written questions
Shall we take the earlier train? /ʃæl wiː teɪk ði ˈɜːliə treɪn/
The short answer
Use will for most future statements and questions. Use shall mainly with I or we for offers, suggestions, and questions such as Shall I open the window? and Shall we start?
I will send the invoice this afternoon.
Why it works: Will is the usual choice for a future intention with I.
5 more examples
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The train will leave at 6:15.
Will states a future event. It works naturally with a timetable when the speaker is talking about what will happen.
Not this:The train
shall leaveat 6:15. What changes: This sounds formal or old-fashioned in ordinary conversation. -
I will answer the phone.
The speaker decides to act at the moment of speaking.
Not this:I
shall answerthe phone. What changes: It is grammatical but unusually formal for this everyday situation. -
Shall I carry that box for you?
The speaker offers help and lets the other person decide.
Not this:
Will I carrythat box for you? What changes: This asks whether the speaker is expected to carry it, rather than making a simple offer. -
Shall we meet outside the library?
Shall we introduces a plan that includes both speakers.
Not this:
Will we meetoutside the library? What changes: This asks whether the meeting will happen. It does not itself propose the plan. -
Will you email me the final version?
The speaker asks another person to do something in the future.
Not this:
Shall you emailme the final version? What changes: Shall is rarely used with you in present-day everyday English.
Read the full guide
Start by asking what the speaker is doing. If the speaker predicts, promises, decides, or asks about the future, will usually fits. If the speaker is offering help or inviting another person to choose a shared action, shall may be the natural form. Do not use shall simply because the subject is I or we.
Use will for ordinary future meaning
Will is the standard future helper in present-day English. Use it for a prediction, a future fact, an intention, a promise, or a decision. It is possible with every subject, so you do not need a separate rule for I and we.
Our guests will arrive after lunch.
The sentence predicts a future event. Will is the normal form whether the subject is our guests, I, or she.
I will call you when I get home.
Will can also express an intention or a promise made by the speaker.
Use shall I for offers and guidance
Ask Shall I ...? when you offer to do something or ask another person to tell you what to do. The question is about a possible action by you. It gives the listener a chance to accept, refuse, or choose a direction.
Shall I book a table for six?
The speaker is offering to make the booking. A reply can be Yes, please or No, I have already done it.
You are standing beside an open window and want to offer help. Which question fits?
Say Shall I close the window? The question offers an action by the speaker.
Use shall we for shared suggestions
Ask Shall we ...? when you suggest an action for you and another person, or for a group that includes you. It is common when people are deciding what to do next. The listener can agree, suggest a different plan, or ask for more information.
Shall we check the map before we leave?
We includes the speaker and listener, so shall we presents the action as a shared choice.
Shall we invite Maya to dinner?
This is a suggestion, not a prediction that Maya will be invited.
Notice the difference between shall and will questions
The two questions can look similar but have different jobs. Shall we leave now? suggests leaving. Will we leave now? asks whether leaving is going to happen. Shall I print the tickets? offers to print them. Will I print the tickets? asks whether printing them is part of the speaker's future plan or duty.
Will the shop be open on Monday?
The speaker asks for information about the future. There is no offer or shared suggestion, so will is suitable.
Choose the form for proposing a coffee break to a colleague.
Use Shall we take a coffee break? It invites the colleague to make a shared choice.
Recognise formal shall
You may see shall in legal agreements, rules, and official instructions: The tenant shall pay the rent on the first day of each month. In that setting, shall often states an obligation. This is a specialised formal use, not a model for ordinary conversation. When writing clear instructions, must may state a requirement more directly.
Applicants shall provide proof of identity.
The sentence states a formal requirement. In plain instructions, Applicants must provide proof of identity is often clearer.
We will send a receipt by email.
A business can use will for a future promise without sounding legal or distant.
Keep your everyday English natural
Will is safe for everyday future sentences with I, we, you, he, she, it, and they. Use contractions such as I'll and we'll in informal speech and writing. Save shall for its useful patterns, especially Shall I ...? and Shall we ...? This choice will make your future sentences sound current and clear.
We'll see you at the station.
We'll is a common spoken contraction of we will.
Which word completes a simple promise: I ___ send the details tonight.
Use will: I will send the details tonight. It is the usual modern future form.
Before you go
Remember this
Choose will for ordinary future meaning with any subject. Choose shall when I or we is offering, asking what to do, or suggesting a shared action. For a listener's future action, use will you rather than shall you in most modern contexts.
Practice with the written examples
You can practice with the written questions in the Learn tab. Each answer includes an explanation.
Try the written questionsListening test not available yet
This lesson does not have the recordings needed for a listening test. Use the written questions in the guide to check your understanding.
Try the written questionsQuestions about "Shall and will: understand modern English usage"
What is the main difference between shall and will?
Will is the usual modern choice for future statements and questions with any subject. Shall is less common and is most useful with I or we in offers and suggestions, such as Shall I help? and Shall we begin?
The train will leave at 6:15.
Can I use will with I and we?
Yes. I will and we will are normal in modern English. Older rules that require shall with I and we do not describe most everyday speech and writing today.
The train shall leave at 6:15.
When should I say shall I?
Use Shall I when you offer to do something or ask another person what action they want you to take. The question concerns the speaker's possible action, such as making a booking or closing a window.
I will answer the phone.
When should I say shall we?
Use Shall we to suggest an action that includes the speaker and at least one other person. It is useful when people are choosing a next step, arranging a plan, or deciding what to do together.
I shall answer the phone.
Why does shall appear in legal or formal writing?
Formal documents sometimes use shall to state a duty or requirement. This convention is different from ordinary conversation. In plain-language instructions, must can make a requirement clearer, while will can state a future promise.
Shall I carry that box for you?