Thursday, 4th June
Learn Late Cornish Bit by Bit
Thursday, 4 June 2026
2026 Day 155
Thursday, 4th June
Wednesday, 3 June 2026
2026 Day 154
Wednesday, 3rd June
Grammar in practice
Here are some sentences which use bos descriptive
!st person singular:
Lôwen o vy. I
am happy. (with adjective)
Pur vesy o vy…
I am very busy …
1st person plural:
Moy sygür o nei …
We are slower (more slow)
2nd person plural:
Welcòm o whei … You … are welcome
3rd person singular:
Degòlyow hav ew. It’s
summer holidays (with noun)
An kensa seythen ew.
It’s the first week.
An kensa dedh ew.
It’s the first day.
Pur üskis ew ev. He
is very fast.
Pur ervirüs ew Tristan. Tristan is very decided.
Gellys ew hei. She
is (has) gone. (with verbal adjective/past participle)
Ew hei gellys? Is
(has) she gone? (verb first, no particle, so question)
Res ew dhewgh mos You must go (lit.
necessity is to you going) (with prepositional pronoun creating the English
subject)
res ew dhewgh gòrra with a Arthòr you
must take care of Arthur (lit. necessity is to you putting care of Arthur)
Here are some sentences using
bos descriptive,
Firstly with the meaning “there is” or “there are”, without
a secondary verb. May be combined with a prepositional pronoun to mean “to have”:
Ma lies
tra dhe wil There are many things to do
Ma disqwedhyans
dhebm I
have an exhibition (lit. There is an exhibition to me)
Ma odhom dhebm a oll an spas
I need all the space (lit. there is need to me of all the space)
Ma
esperans dhebm I
hope (lit. There is hope to me)
Next with « ow »
the -ing particle and a secondary verb
ma Tas ow mos … Dad is going …
Ma Rosa ow senjy dorn Arthòr Rosa is holding Arthur’s
hand, Rosa holds Arthur’s hand
thera nei ow mos we are
going, we go
Finally, just indicating “location”
thera nei en
tewlder. we are in darkness.
Now find the sentences in the narrative.
Degòlyow hav ew. An kensa seythen ew. An kensa dedh ew.
Lôwen o vy.
“Pur vesy o vy hedhyw,” emedh mabm. “Ha Tas ewedh. Res
ew dhewgh mos dhe jei Mabm Wydn ha Henvam rag an jedh.”
“Nei oll?” a
venjama godhvos.
“Oll! Mabm Wydn a
vedn fyttya kidnyow rago whei.”
“Prag na ella nei dos genes?”
“Ma
odhom dhebm a oll an spas e’n carr bian vy rag ow jednas ha
pictours. Ma disqwedhyans dhebm üdn
seythen e’n cresen lowarth. Ma
esperans dhebm my a vedn gwertha pub tra. Ha ma Tas ow mos bys en Scottlond rag effects specyal
en fylm aventur. Tas a vedn kemeres an carr brâs leun a bub tra ev.”
“My a vedn obery
gen Gorownter Marcus.” Pur ervirüs ew Tristan.
“Rosa ha Kettern, res ew dhewgh gòrra with a Arthòr, mar pleg.
Pur üskis ew ev. Na wrewgh y gelly.”
Etho, thera nei ow mos, pajar flogh, a-dreus pras an
gever, dres rew a wedh Nadelik, dres crow an gever hag oll an treven erel en
lowarth Mabm Wydn, bys en daras kegin hy chei. Moy sygür o nei del ûsyes drefen ma whans dhe Arthòr
leverel ‘Mettin da’ dhe geniver gavar. Bulhornes alja bos moy üskis.
“Welcòm o whei oll,” emedh Mabm Wydn. “Ma lies tra dhe wil hedhyw. En kensa, gero nei
dhe vos bys en Pow Frenk. Henvam a venja disqwedhes neppeth dhewgh. Bes
kemerowgh with na wrewgh whei gòrra troos war an dor gwedhra!”
“Pe le ma
Henvam? Ew hei gellys solabres?” my a
venja godhvos.
"Ea. Gellys ew hei."
Etho thera nei ow mos en crow an gever. Ma Rosa ow
senjy dorn Arthòr en tydn. Ha Mabm Wydn ow keas an daras thera nei en tewlder.
Tuesday, 2 June 2026
2026 Day 153
Tuesday, 2nd June
Monday, 1 June 2026
2026 Day 152
De Lün, kensa mis Efen
“Ma odhom dhebm a olifans gwydn.” Lev ow hôr Rosa ew hedna. Nag o nei bes nowydh devedhys tre dhort scol.
“Gwra gofyn ort dha dhama wydn.” Lev agan dama ew hedna.
Ma hei ow cosôwes bes hanter orth Rosa. Hanter hy rach ew kemerys gen caletter aral. Fatel ell hei gwitha
Arthòr, agan broder bian, dhort towla yos tettys ort an gath? Ma dhodho gallos marthys rag nebonan ew bes trei bloodh coth.
This shows the use of bes meaning but, in
the sense of only or just (sometimes in a negative sentence).
Nag o
nei bes nowydh devedhys tre ...
We have
only just come home… (lit. We aren’t but newly come home…)
Ma hei ow cosôwes bes hanter …
She is
only half listening … (it. She is listening but half…)
… rag nebonan ew bes trei bloodh coth.
.... for somebody (who) is only/just (but) 3 years
of age
There are examples using ma there is + dhe to, where Cornish
doesn’t have a verb „to need“ or „to have“.
“Ma odhom dhebm a … I need … (lit. There is need to me of…, I have need of ..)
Ma dhodho gallos ... He has ability ... (lit. There is to him
ability...)
Ordinary use of bos locative with ow verbal („ing“) particle and
secondary verb:
Ma hei ow cosôwes She is listening
Here are examples where the adjective
directly
follows the noun (no mutation after masculine singular nouns);
olifans gwydn white elephant
dama wydn grandmother (lit. white mother) (f) notice soft mutation
caletter aral other problem
broder bian little brother
yos tettys mashed potatoes (lit. potato mush)
gallos marthys
wonderful ability
bloodh coth years of age (lit. old years)
Possessives
(mutation after dha) and numbers before the noun:
ow hôr my sister; dha dhama your mother; hy rach her attention;
agan dama our mother; agan broder our brother;
trei bloodh three years
Bos descriptive used with verbal
adjective (past participle):
e.g. (th)o nei we are with devedhys come;
and ew is with kemerys taken
Bos descriptive used with
identifier, like two halves of an equation:
Lev … ew hedna That is the voice … (definite article not needed by lev, as owner of voice is definite)
Sunday, 31 May 2026
2026 Day 151
Sunday, 31st May
Saturday, 30 May 2026
2026 Day 150
Saturday, 30th May
Friday, 29 May 2026
2026 Day 149
Friday, 29th May





