Monday 22 February 2016

Personal Descriptions 15 (birth month)

In PD 3 we started to talk about age. In PD 5 we learnt how to say how old we are. Now we learn to say when or where we were born. It was a one off event in the past, so we use the past passive (the non-specific preterite <a veu> of boas to be/being with adjective/ past participle <genys> born). The same form is used for all persons.

Me a veu genys en mis Whevrel.
I was born in February.
Wella Gwavas a veu genys en Pensans.
William Gwavas was born in Penzance.

Here are the months of the year:

mis Genver
January
mis Whevrel
February
mis Meurth
March
mis Ebrel
April
mis Me
May
mis Efen
June
mis Goreffen
July
mis Est                          
August
mis Gwedngala
September
mis Hedra
October
mis Dû
November
mis Kevardhû
December

You may be asked about your birthday or anniversary 
<pedn bloodh (m)>:

Pana dhedh ew dha bedn bloodh? 
What date is your birthday? (familiar)
Pana dhedh ew agas pedn bloodh?
What date is your birthday? (formal)
Pana vis ew dha bedn bloodh?
What date is your birthday? (familiar)
Pana vis ew agas pedn bloodh?
What month is your birthday? (formal)
       
You would answer:

O fedn bloodh ew (en)…
My birthday is (in) …
An pedn bloodh vy ew (en)

My birthday is (in)…
You need to use ordinal rather than cardinal numbers with dates, to follow <an> the:

1st 
1a

kensa

21st 21ens

kensa warn ügens

2nd 
2a

second/nessa

22nd 22ens
nessa warn ügens

3rd 
3a

tryja

23rd 23ens

tryja warn ügens

4th 
4a

pajwara

24th 24ens

pajwara warn ügens

5th 
5es

pempes

25th 25ens
pempes warn ügens

6th 
6es

wheffes

26th 26ens

wheffes warn ügens

7th 
7es

seythves

27th 27ens

seythves warn ügens

8th 
8es

ethves

28th 28ens

ethves warn ügens

9th 
9es

nawhes

29th 29ens

nawhes warn ügens

10th
10ves

degves

30th 30ens

degves warn ügens

11th
11ves

üdnegves

31st 31ens

üdnegves warn ügens

12th
12ves

dewdhegves



13th
13ves

terdhegves



14th
14ves

peswardhegves



15th
15ves

pemdhegves



16th
16ves

whetegves



17th
17ves

seytegves



18th
18ves

etekves



19th
19ves

nownjegves



20th
20ves
ügensves



O fedn bloodh ew an wheffes warn ügens mis Whevrel.
My birthday is 26th February.

Pedn bloodh o noyth ew an tryja warn ügens mis Genver.
My niece’s birthday is 23rd January.
Dedh Nadelik[1] ew an pempes warn ügens mis Kevardhû.
Christmas Day is 25th December.
Gool Peran ew an pempes mis Meurth.
St Piran’s Day is 5th March.

Cala’ Me ew an kensa mis Me.
May Day is 1st May.





[1] Gendall uses Nadelak for Christmas and nadelik or natolaidh for birthday.

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