shouldst
More pronunciations (2)Fewer pronunciations
stressed/ʃʊdst/unstressed/ʃədst/
shouldst is the second-person singular present of should.
shouldst is the second-person singular simple past indicative of shall.
Meaning of should
Verb
should (third-person singular simple present should, no present participle, no simple past or past participle)
- Used to issue an instruction (traditionally seen as carrying less force of authority than alternatives such as 'shall' or 'must').
- You should never drink and drive.
- Used to give advice or opinion that an action is, or would have been, beneficial or desirable.
- You should go and see that film. I think you'll enjoy it.
- With verbs such as 'see' or 'hear', usually in the second person, used to point out something remarkable in either a good or bad way.
- You should see his new apartment. It's like a palace!
- In questions, asks what is correct, proper, desirable, etc.
- What do you think? What should I do?
- Indicates that something is expected to have happened or to be the case now.
- They should have finished by now; I'll call them to check.
- Will be likely to (become or do something); indicates a degree of possibility or probability that the stated thing will happen or be true in the future.
- They should have it finished by Friday.
Meaning of shall
Verb
shall (third-person singular simple present shall, no present participle, simple past should, no past participle)
- Used before a verb to indicate the simple future tense in the first person singular or plural.
- I shall sing in the choir tomorrow.
- Used similarly to indicate determination or obligation in the second and third persons singular or plural.
- (determination): You shall go to the ball!; He shall be given a fair trial.
- Used in questions with the first person singular or plural to suggest a possible future action.
- What shall I do? Shall I give you a hand?
- To owe.
- I thee shall a hundred golden coins; th'amount thou shalt the Queen is much higher.
Forms of shouldst
| alternative form | shou'dst |
|---|---|
| alternative form | should'st |
| alternative form | shouldest |
Questions about shouldst
- What is shouldst the second-person singular present of?
- Shouldst is the second-person singular present of should.
- How do you pronounce shouldst?
- Shouldst is pronounced /ʃʊdst/ (stressed).
Words near shouldst in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: shouldst (page history and authors); should (page history and authors); shall (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
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Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-shouldst.wav.
Cite this entry: “shouldst.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/shouldst. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.
