Ways to say it
| Old English | IPA |
|---|---|
| willan | /ˈwil.lɑn/ |
| sċulan |
willan expresses intention or wish, so a speaker who says they will do something is also saying they want to do it. Old English had no single future tense, and this verb is one of the ways a writer showed what someone was about to do.
Which one should you use?
willan carries the idea of intention or desire, while sċulan expresses necessity or obligation, closer to must, shall or ought to. Choose willan when the person means to act and sċulan when they are bound to act.
How does it change in a sentence?
The first person singular present form is wille, so I will is iċ wille. Both examples on this page use exactly this form.
How do you pronounce it?
The infinitive is pronounced /ˈwil.lɑn/, two syllables with the stress on the first. The double l is held a little longer than a single one.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Do not read willan as a pure future marker like modern English will. Its main meaning is to want, so the future sense comes from context.
Did you know?
- In Old English, the choice between willan and sċulan could signal a legal or moral debt. sċulan is the ancestor of the modern word 'shall' but originally carried the heavy weight of a financial or social obligation.
- While willan describes a personal wish, sċulan was often used to describe the inevitable flow of fate. A speaker using sċulan might be suggesting that the future action is predetermined by a higher power.
- The concept of 'wanting' in willan is a linguistic relative of the modern German word wollen. In German, this word still means 'to want' rather than serving as a future tense marker.
Examples in context
- late 9th century, translation of Orosius’ History Against the Pagans
Sċortlīċe iċ hæbbe nū ġesǣd ymb þā þrīe dǣlas ealles þises middanġeardes, ac iċ wille nū, swā iċ ǣr gehēt, þāra þrēora landrīċa ġemǣre ġereċċan…I have now spoken about all three of this world's continents in brief, but I will now, as I promised before, relate the borders of the three continents…Here iċ wille means I will in the sense of I intend to, as the writer announces what he is about to describe.
Example conversation
Two people are discussing their plans for the morning.
- EadgythHwæt willan þū tōdæg dōn, Æthelstan?What will you do today, Æthelstan?
- ÆthelstanIċ willan mīne feld gēran.I will weed my field.
- EadgythĠēat þū mē helpan?Will you help me?
- ÆthelstanĠē, iċ willan helpan.Yes, I will help.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “will” translations and entries willan, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
