shall
/ʃæl, ʃəl, ʃl/modal verb
(3rd sing. present shall)
1
- (in the first person) expressing the future tense用于第一人称, 表示将来时态将, 会:
this time next week I shall be in Scotland
下星期此时我将在苏格兰
we shan't be gone long.
我们不会离开很久的。
2
- expressing a strong assertion or intention[表示强烈主张或意图]:
they shall succeed
他们一定会成功
you shall not frighten me out of this.
你们不可能吓得我退出此事的。
3
- expressing an instruction or command[表示告诫或命令]:
you shall not steal.
你不得偷窃。
4
- used in questions indicating offers or suggestions用于问句中, 表示提议或建议:
shall I send you the book?
我要不要把书寄给你?
shall we go?
我们走吧?
USAGE
There is considerable confusion about when to use shall and will. The traditional rule in standard British English is that shall is used with first person pronouns (I and we) to form the future tense, while will is used with second and third persons (you, he, she, it, they), e.g. I shall be late; she will not be there. To express a strong determination to do something these positions are reversed, with will being used with the first person and shall with the second and third persons, e.g. I will not tolerate this; you shall go to school. In practice, however, shall and will are today used more or less interchangeably in statements (though not in questions). Given that the forms are frequently contracted (we'll, she'll, etc.) there is often no need to make a choice between shall and will, another factor no doubt instrumental in weakening the distinction. The interchangeable use of shall and will is now part of standard British and US English.
词源
Old English sceal, of Germanic origin; related to Dutch zal and German soll, from a base meaning 'owe'.