Icelandic

edit

Etymology

edit

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

Pronunciation

edit

Verb

edit

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

edit
The template Template:is-conj-skulu does not use the parameter(s):
1=skulu
Please see Module:checkparams for help with this warning.

Synonyms

edit

Derived terms

edit

Old Norse

edit

Alternative forms

edit

Etymology

edit

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

edit

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

  1. (modal, auxiliary verb) shall, must

Usage notes

edit
  • 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

edit

Descendants

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

References

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