Taking a new look at Cornish grammar 36 (Possession)

Rather than using possessive pronouns, if ownership is in question, you can use the defective verb pew own/possess. (It is “defective” because it is mainly used in the present-future tense and does not occur in all the other tenses or all persons.) Notice that a soft mutation follows the relative particle a. The object pronoun, usually ’n for it (’s if you know it is feminine) or ’s for them, is placed between the verbal particle and the verb.

Here are some examples in combination with demonstrative pronouns (sometimes necessary to avoid ambiguity). Although there are multiple English translations, you would naturally choose the simplest!

Me a’n pew. SWFM My a’n pyw.	It’s mine. I own it. It is I that owns/possesses it. It belongs to me.
Hebma, me a’n pew. SWFM Hemma, my a’n pyw. Me a bew hebma. SWFM My a byw hemma.	This is mine. I own this. It is I that owns/possesses this. This belongs to me.
Che a’n pew. SWFM Ty a’n pyw.	It is yours. It is you (familiar) that owns it. etc.
Hedna, che a’n pew. SWFM Henna, ty a’n pyw. Che a bew hedna. SWFM Ty a byw henna.	That is yours. It is you (familiar) that owns that. etc.
Ev a’n pew. SWFM Ev a’n pyw.	It is his. It is he that owns it. etc.
Hebma, ev a’n pew. SWFM Hemma, ev a’n pyw. Ev a bew hebma. SWFM Ev a byw hemma.	This is his. It is he that owns this. etc.
Hei a’s pew. SWFM Hi a’s pyw.	They are hers. or It (f) is hers. It is she that owns them/it (f). etc.
An re ma, hei a’s pew. SWFM An re ma, hi a’s pyw. Hei a bew an re ma. SWFM Hi a byw an re ma.	These are hers. It is she that owns these. etc.
Nei a’s pew. SWFM Ni a’s pyw.	They are ours. or It (f) is ours. It is we that own them/it (f). etc.
An re na, nei a’s pew. SWFM An re na, ni a’s pyw. Nei a bew an re na. SWFM Ni a byw an re na.	Those are ours. It is we that own those. etc.
Whei a’s pew. SWFM Hwi a’s pyw.	They are yours. or It (f) is yours. It is you that own(s) them/it (f). etc.
Hobma/holma, whei a’s pew. SWFM Homma, hwi a’s pyw. Whei a bew hobma/holma. SWFM Hwi a byw homma.	This (f) is yours. It is you that own(s) this (f). etc.
Anjei a’s pew. SWFM I a’s pyw.	They are theirs. or It (f) is theirs. It is they that own them/it (f). etc.
Hodna/hodda, anjei a’s pew. SWFM Honna, i a’s pyw. Anjei a bew hodna/hodda. SWFM I a byw honna.	That (f) is theirs. It is they that own(s) that (f). etc.