Shall in Different Languages
Discover 'Shall' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'shall' is a small but powerful English modal verb, often used to express determination, obligation, or mere future tense. Its significance goes beyond grammar, as it has been used in historical documents such as the United Nations Charter and the United States Constitution. In these contexts, 'shall' emphasizes a sense of duty or destiny, elevating the text's importance and solemnity.
Beyond its cultural importance, understanding the translation of 'shall' in different languages can enrich your communication skills and foster global connections. For example, in Spanish, 'shall' translates to 'voy a' or 'habré de'; in German, it's 'werde' or 'soll'; in French, 'va' or 'devra'. These translations not only help you navigate linguistic nuances but also provide insight into each language's cultural perspective.
As you explore the world of languages, remember that translations may vary based on context and regional usage. Embrace the journey and discover the richness of human communication as you delve into the many faces of 'shall'.
Shall
Shall in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | sal | ||
| In Afrikaans, "sal" is also the name of a salt lake. | |||
| Amharic | ይሆናል | ||
| The word ይሆናል in Amharic is derived from the root ሆን which has multiple meanings, and so the word ይሆናል can mean not only "shall" but also "to become," "to exist," or "to be." | |||
| Hausa | za | ||
| Za is also used in Hausa as a question particle to indicate doubt or uncertainty, or as an exclamation to express surprise or disapproval. | |||
| Igbo | ga | ||
| The archaic, full form of this word in Igbo is gaa | |||
| Malagasy | dia | ||
| "Dia" is also used as a suffix to indicate an action done in place of someone else | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | adzatero | ||
| The word "adzatero" in Nyanja (Chichewa) can also mean "it remains" or "it is left". | |||
| Shona | anofanira | ||
| The word "anofanira" can also mean "should" or "must" in the sense of an obligation or compulsion. | |||
| Somali | samayn doonaa | ||
| The original word for "shall" was "doonaa," but its current usage "samayn doonaa" emerged from the phrase "ma samayn doonaa?" ("what should I do?"). | |||
| Sesotho | tla | ||
| In Sesotho, the word 'tla' has similar origins to the Zulu 'zola', and is also connected to the idea of a promise or agreement. | |||
| Swahili | atakuwa | ||
| The word "atakuwa" in Swahili is derived from the verb "kuwa" (to be) and the future tense marker "-ta" (will), and can also mean "will be" or "is to be." | |||
| Xhosa | uya | ||
| Xhosa word "uya" has Bantu root -ya, meaning "to come". | |||
| Yoruba | yio | ||
| In the Yoruba language, the word "yio" also means "to become" or "to grow into" and is often used in prayers or blessings to express a wish or hope for something to happen. | |||
| Zulu | kufanele | ||
| The word 'kufanele' can also refer to 'ought' or 'should'. | |||
| Bambara | kan | ||
| Ewe | na | ||
| Kinyarwanda | igomba | ||
| Lingala | akozala | ||
| Luganda | nja | ||
| Sepedi | tla | ||
| Twi (Akan) | bɛ | ||
Shall in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يجب | ||
| 'يجب' is the imperative form of the verb وجب meaning 'to become necessary' or 'to be binding' | |||
| Hebrew | יהיה | ||
| "יהיה" can also refer to "be" as in "Let there be light". | |||
| Pashto | د | ||
| The Pashto د ("shall") also serves as the second person singular suffix of the simple past tense. | |||
| Arabic | يجب | ||
| 'يجب' is the imperative form of the verb وجب meaning 'to become necessary' or 'to be binding' | |||
Shall in Western European Languages
| Albanian | do të | ||
| The word "do" in Albanian can also mean "to do," "to make," or "to become" | |||
| Basque | izango da | ||
| The Basque word “izango da” also means “it will be” and is related to the verb “izan,” meaning “to be.” | |||
| Catalan | haurà | ||
| The word "haurà" is derived from the Latin word "habeo" and was originally used to indicate possession or obligation. | |||
| Croatian | mora | ||
| The Croatian word "mora" also means "nightmare" or "bogeyman" in other Slavic languages. | |||
| Danish | skal | ||
| The Danish word "skal" originates from the Old Norse words "skulu" and "skall", both meaning "to owe" or "to have to do something." | |||
| Dutch | zal | ||
| Zal is derived from the Old Saxon word 'scolun', which also means 'owe' | |||
| English | shall | ||
| In English, the word "shall" can sometimes have an older meaning of "must" or "need to," especially in legal contexts. | |||
| French | doit | ||
| Doit, from the Latin "debet," also means "he or she owes" in French. | |||
| Frisian | sille | ||
| The Frisian word "sille" can also mean "to be allowed" | |||
| Galician | debe | ||
| The Galician word "debe" not only means "shall", but also "has to" or "must". | |||
| German | soll | ||
| The German verb "soll" can also mean "must" or "should", and is derived from the Old High German word "sol," meaning "obligation." | |||
| Icelandic | skal | ||
| The Icelandic word "skal" means "to drink to someone's health," and in Old Norse, it meant "to make a solemn vow." | |||
| Irish | déanfaidh | ||
| The word "déanfaidh" can also mean "will" or "shall" in a more general sense, indicating a future event or action. | |||
| Italian | deve | ||
| The Italian word "deve" derives from the Latin "debere," meaning "to owe" or "to be obliged," indicating its connection to obligation and necessity. | |||
| Luxembourgish | soll | ||
| The Luxembourgish word "soll" can also refer to a type of fish soup, as well as to the act of salting or preserving food. | |||
| Maltese | għandu | ||
| The Maltese word "għandu" can also mean "he has" or "he should". | |||
| Norwegian | skal | ||
| The word "skal" in Norwegian can also mean "toast" or "cheer". | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | deve | ||
| The word "deve" in Portuguese is derived from the Latin word "debet", which also means "owes" or "is indebted to". | |||
| Scots Gaelic | shall | ||
| In Scots Gaelic 'shall' is spelled and pronounced the same as 'seall' meaning 'while' | |||
| Spanish | deberá | ||
| The word "deberá" in Spanish can also mean "should" or "must" depending on the context. | |||
| Swedish | skall | ||
| In Swedish, the word "skall" can also mean "shell", "skull" or "husk". | |||
| Welsh | bydd | ||
| The archaic "bydd" in Welsh can also be used to indicate the future tense. | |||
Shall in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | павінны | ||
| Павінны in Belarusian derives from the Proto-Slavic word *povinъ and means "duty, obligation", cognate with Russian должен and Polish powinien. | |||
| Bosnian | mora | ||
| The Bosnian word "mora" also means "must". | |||
| Bulgarian | ще | ||
| The word "ще" (shall) in Bulgarian also has the alternate meaning of "will" or "is going to". | |||
| Czech | musí | ||
| "Musí" is derived from the Old Czech word "musiti", which means "to have to". | |||
| Estonian | peab | ||
| The word “peab” in Estonian is cognate with the word “behov” in Swedish, which means “need.” | |||
| Finnish | on | ||
| In Finnish, "on" can also mean "is" or "are". | |||
| Hungarian | kell | ||
| The Hungarian word "kell" derives from the Proto-Finno-Ugric root word "*kele-", meaning "to order or command". | |||
| Latvian | ir | ||
| The root of ir is *er-*, meaning 'to go' which is retained in the meaning of the imperative, 'go!' | |||
| Lithuanian | turi | ||
| The word "turi" is also used in the sense of "must" or "have to". | |||
| Macedonian | ќе | ||
| The word "ќе" derives from Proto-Slavic "*ketъ" and has cognate forms in most Slavic languages like Russian "хотеть" (to want), Polish "chcieć", Czech "chtít", and Serbo-Croatian "hteti". | |||
| Polish | powinien | ||
| The Polish word "powinien" is derived from the Old Polish word "powinność," meaning "duty" or "obligation." | |||
| Romanian | trebuie | ||
| The Romanian word "trebuie" shares its etymology with the Albanian word "duhet" (must), both originating from the Proto-Indo-European root *deH₁- (to put, to place). | |||
| Russian | должен | ||
| "Должен" can also mean "obliged" or "indebted". | |||
| Serbian | ће | ||
| "Ће" is not used in the future tense when the main clause is negative. | |||
| Slovak | bude | ||
| Bude (shall) in Slovak originates from Old Church Slavonic бъд-, and has the same root as words like "быть" (to be) in Russian, "byt" (to be) in Polish, and "be" (to be) in English. | |||
| Slovenian | mora | ||
| The word "mora" in Slovenian also means "nightmares" and is derived from the Proto-Indo-European root *mei- meaning "to measure" or "to share." | |||
| Ukrainian | повинен | ||
| "Повинен" is also used in the sense of "liable" or "obliged" and comes from the Old Slavic word "povinьnъ" meaning "bound" or "tied to something". | |||
Shall in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | হবে | ||
| The Bengali word "হবে" can also refer to a type of rice dish or a particular kind of fish. | |||
| Gujarati | કરશે | ||
| "કરશે" (shall) is also used in Gujarati to express "will" or "is going to". | |||
| Hindi | करेगा | ||
| The word "करेगा" also means "will make" or "will do" in Hindi, which is often used to express determination or promise. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಾಗಿಲ್ಲ | ||
| ಹಾಗಿಲ್ಲ in Kannada can also mean 'not well' or 'in that way'. | |||
| Malayalam | ചെയ്യും | ||
| "ചെയ്യും" also refers to the grammatical tense of "present continuous". | |||
| Marathi | होईल | ||
| While 'होईल' means 'shall,' it can also mean 'will' or 'is going to' and often appears in future tense sentences | |||
| Nepali | हुनु पर्छ | ||
| The word "हुनु पर्छ" in Nepali can also mean "must" or "have to". | |||
| Punjabi | ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | විය යුතුය | ||
| The word "විය යුතුය" ( | |||
| Tamil | வேண்டும் | ||
| The Tamil word 'வேண்டும்' can also mean 'to desire, need, or want'. | |||
| Telugu | తప్పక | ||
| The word "తప్పక" also means "must" and is derived from the root word "తప్పు" (mistake), suggesting an obligation to avoid mistakes. | |||
| Urdu | کرے گا | ||
| The Urdu word "کرے گا" has origins in Sanskrit, and can also be translated as "does" or "will do." | |||
Shall in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 应 | ||
| 应 can mean 'response,' 'answer,' or 'corresponding,' and it's commonly used in expressions like 应声虫 (echoing someone) or 对症下药 (prescribing the right remedy). | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 應 | ||
| 應 (應) is closely related to “應對”, meaning “to respond to”. | |||
| Japanese | しなければならない | ||
| The characters in "しなければならない" mean "must do" or "have to do". | |||
| Korean | 하여야 한다 | ||
| 하(하다)+여(서)+야 : 어떤 일을 실행 또는 완수할 필요가 있음을 나타냄 | |||
| Mongolian | байх ёстой | ||
| The word "байх ёстой" in Mongolian can also mean "necessary" or "proper". | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | လုပ်ရမည် | ||
Shall in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | akan | ||
| Akan is also used in Indonesian to refer to the future tense of verbs. | |||
| Javanese | bakal | ||
| Bakal in Javanese also signifies "about to" or "on the verge of" as well as the passive voice in a sentence. | |||
| Khmer | នឹង | ||
| In Khmer, the word "នឹង" can also refer to "will" or "shall" when predicting a future occurrence. | |||
| Lao | ຈະ | ||
| ຈະ is an auxiliary verb that can also be used to indicate intent, possibility, or willingness. | |||
| Malay | hendaklah | ||
| "Hendaklah" can also mean "must" or "should" in Malay and is derived from the Arabic word "iqtidha" meaning "to follow" or "to imitate." | |||
| Thai | จะ | ||
| The Thai word 'จะ' (pronounced 'chá') also means 'about to' or 'intending to,' similar to the English word 'going to'. | |||
| Vietnamese | sẽ | ||
| The word "sẽ" ("shall") also means "will" in Vietnamese, and is often used in a future tense context. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dapat | ||
Shall in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | etməlidir | ||
| "Etməlidir" can be understood as a compound of "etmə" and "-dir" suffixes, and also as a participle form of the verb "etmək" with a future tense meaning. | |||
| Kazakh | керек | ||
| The Kazakh word "керек" ('shall') also indicates the desire for a particular outcome. | |||
| Kyrgyz | керек | ||
| The word “керек” can also mean “to be necessary” or “to be lacking” in Kyrgyz. | |||
| Tajik | бояд | ||
| The Tajik word "бояд" also means "need". | |||
| Turkmen | eder | ||
| Uzbek | kerak | ||
| "Kerak" is also used in Uzbek as a slang way of saying "Yes" | |||
| Uyghur | چوقۇم | ||
Shall in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | e | ||
| In Hawaiian, the word "e" is also used as a prefix with proper nouns, such as "E Komo Mai" (welcome). | |||
| Maori | ka | ||
| The Maori word "ka" also translates to "the" when used before proper nouns and "will" when used before verbs in the future tense. | |||
| Samoan | e tatau | ||
| In the Samoan language, the word | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | dapat | ||
| The word "dapat" in Tagalog can also mean "must" or "should". | |||
Shall in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ukaxa | ||
| Guarani | mba'aporã | ||
Shall in International Languages
| Esperanto | devas | ||
| The word "devas" (shall) in Esperanto has the same root as the Latin word "debēre" (must). | |||
| Latin | eorum | ||
| Eorum's original meaning was "they", though it was also used to refer to a group of people or things. | |||
Shall in Others Languages
| Greek | θα | ||
| The Ancient Greek word "θα" evolved from the Proto-Indo-European particle "*te". | |||
| Hmong | yuav tsum | ||
| 'Yuav tsum' can also mean 'need' or 'require'. | |||
| Kurdish | dêbûn | ||
| The word "dêbûn" also means "must" or "have to" and carries a sense of obligation or necessity. | |||
| Turkish | acak | ||
| The word "acak" in Turkish can also refer to a hook or latch. | |||
| Xhosa | uya | ||
| Xhosa word "uya" has Bantu root -ya, meaning "to come". | |||
| Yiddish | וועט | ||
| The Yiddish word "וועט" can also mean "bet" or "gamble", reflecting its Germanic origins. | |||
| Zulu | kufanele | ||
| The word 'kufanele' can also refer to 'ought' or 'should'. | |||
| Assamese | কৰিব | ||
| Aymara | ukaxa | ||
| Bhojpuri | करिहें | ||
| Dhivehi | ވާނީ... | ||
| Dogri | करग | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | dapat | ||
| Guarani | mba'aporã | ||
| Ilocano | ket | ||
| Krio | fɔ | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | پێویستە | ||
| Maithili | ब | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯇꯧꯒꯅꯤ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | ang | ||
| Oromo | ni ta’a | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | କରିବେ | ||
| Quechua | shall | ||
| Sanskrit | भविष्यति | ||
| Tatar | .әр сүзнең | ||
| Tigrinya | ይግባእ | ||
| Tsonga | ta | ||