“Shall” vs. “Will”: What’s The Difference?

If you want to talk about the future, you’ll typically need to use the words will and shall. But which one should you use? Are they interchangeable or do they mean different things?

In this article, we explore the meanings of will and shall, explain how and when they are typically used, and provide examples that show how will and shall are typically used in sentences.

What’s the difference between shall and will?

Shall and will are both auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs. They are used together with other verbs to express specific meanings.

Technically speaking, will is often used to express determination, inclination, or capability as in We will pay the money we promised or Caterpillars will turn into butterflies.

Shall is often used to express intent or determination as in I shall go to the store or She shall become the next queen.

The differences are subtle, but what is important to note is that both will and shall are used with all verbs to form the future tense. The traditional rule of future tense says that shall is used in the first person (I shall eat lunch) and will is used in all other persons (you will eat lunch, she will eat lunch). In practice, most English speakers do not follow this rule and the two words are often considered to be interchangeable when forming the future tense. That being said, will is much more commonly used for this purpose and shall is typically only used to sound more formal or old-fashioned.

Like many auxiliary verbs, will and shall may appear alone in sentences. In this case, the main verb is omitted but still understood. For example:

• I don’t think you’ll do as well as you think you will (do).
• We said that we’d clean the attic and we shall (clean it).

Both will and shall can be used to ask questions. Depending on the questions, will and shall may be used interchangeably or have distinct meanings. For example, the questions What shall happen if we add water? and What will happen if we add water? are asking the same thing: what event is going to occur when water is added. However, the questions Shall we arrive at noon? and Will we arrive at noon? are asking different things: the first is asking if noon is an acceptable time to arrive while the second is asking whether or not we will arrive at noon.

In legal contracts, both will and shall are used to note that someone has a legal obligation or duty to do something. The specific rules and conventions regarding these words in legal contexts are often ambiguous or vary from lawyer to lawyer. In the Plain Writing Act of 2010, the US government recommends the use of the word must in place of shall to refer to a legal obligation.

Verbs similar to shall and will

Shall and will are irregular verbs that follow a similar pattern: the past tense of shall is should and the past tense of will is would. The auxiliary verb can also follows a similar pattern: its past tense form is could.

You should learn about a related pair of words by reading this guide on shall vs. should.

Examples of shall and will used in a sentence

To finish things up, we will look at several examples that show how we typically use will and shall.

• The concert will begin at 8 p.m.
• The dinner shall consist of eight courses.
• Will you get mad if I eat the last slice of pizza?
• Mom’s birthday will be on a Saturday this year, so we shall spend the day doing whatever she wants.
• The knights claimed they will slay the dragon, and I think they shall!

Take The Quiz

Feeling confident about how much you’ve learned about these verbs already? If so, we think you shall perform admirably on our quiz on shall vs. will. You may surprise yourself with what you’ve learned!