skulu

Icelandic

Etymology

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

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈskʏːlʏ/

  Rhymes: -ʏːlʏ

Verb

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

skulu — active voice (germynd)

infinitive (nafnháttur)		að skulu
past infinitive (nafnháttur þátíð)		skyldu
	indicative (framsöguháttur)			subjunctive (viðtengingarháttur)
present (nútíð)	ég skal	við skulum	present (nútíð)	ég skuli	við skulum
	þú skalt	þið skuluð		þú skulir	þið skulið
	hann, hún, það skal	þeir, þær, þau skulu		hann, hún, það skuli	þeir, þær, þau skuli
past (þátíð)	--	--	past (þátíð)	ég skyldi	við skyldum
	--	--		þú skyldir	þið skylduð
	--	--		hann, hún, það skyldi	þeir, þær, þau skyldu
Note that the indicative past forms do not exist and that this verb only exists in the active, with no past participle.

Synonyms

• (shall): eiga
• (need): þurfa

Derived terms

• með lögum skal land byggja

Old Norse

Alternative forms

• skolu

Etymology

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

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

1. (modal, auxiliary verb) shall, must

Usage notes

• 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

Conjugation of skulu (preterite-present)

infinitive	skulu
present participle	skulandi
past participle	–
indicative	present	past
1st-person singular	skal	skylda
2nd-person singular	skalt	skyldir
3rd-person singular	skal	skyldi
1st-person plural	skulum	skyldum
2nd-person plural	skuluð	skylduð
3rd-person plural	skulu	skyldu
subjunctive	present	past
1st-person singular	skula, skyla	skylda
2nd-person singular	skulir, skylir	skyldir
3rd-person singular	skuli, skyli	skyldi
1st-person plural	skulim, skylim	skyldim
2nd-person plural	skulið, skylið	skyldið
3rd-person plural	skuli, skyli	skyldi
imperative	present
2nd-person singular	skul
1st-person plural	skulum
2nd-person plural	skuluð

Descendants

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

References

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