Icelandic

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Etymology

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From Old Norse skulu, skolu, from Proto-Germanic *skulaną.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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skulu (first person singular present indicative skal, first person plural past subjunctive skyldi)

  1. shall, must
    • Luke 6:29 (English, Icelandic)
      Slái þig einhver á kinnina, skaltu og bjóða hina, og taki einhver yfirhöfn þína, skaltu ekki varna honum að taka kyrtilinn líka.
      If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic.
    • Einar Benediktsson
      Aðgát skal höfð í nærveru sálar.
      Exercise caution in the presence of a soul.
    Þú skalt ekki taka bílinn minn!
    You shall not take my car!
    Þú skalt ekki morð fremja.
    Thou shalt not kill.
  2. to need
  3. (an emphatic verb) to will!
    Þú skalt sjá!
    You will see!
  4. to will
    Ég skal svara símanum.
    I'll pick up the phone.
  5. (encouragement) let us, shall
    Við skulum fara í bíó.
    Let's go to the movies.

Conjugation

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1=skulu

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Synonyms

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Derived terms

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Old Norse

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Proto-Germanic *skulaną, from Proto-Indo-European *skel- (to be obligated, owe, be guilty). Cognate to Old English sculan (to be obligated or obliged to, shall, must, owe, ought to) (English shall).

Verb

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skulu (first person singular present indicative skal, first person plural past subjunctive skyldi)

  1. (modal, auxiliary verb) shall, must

Usage notes

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  • When auxiliary to copulae, the copula may be left out.
  • Along with only two other verbs (munu and vilja), skulu has a special past tense infinitive. It is equal to the third person plural past tense skyldu. This rare form is mostly used when the verb of the main clause also is in the past tense.

Conjugation

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Descendants

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  • Icelandic: skulu
  • Faroese: skula
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: skulla, skulle
  • Old Swedish: skula, skola, skulu
  • Danish: skulle

References

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  • skulu”, in Geir T. Zoëga (1910) A Concise Dictionary of Old Icelandic, Oxford: Clarendon Press