Learn Late Cornish Bit by Bit 90 (More About Verbs)

A Bit More About Verbs

There is a very short, simple, version of the verb boas to be, being, which can be used in a positive descriptive statement, as long as you start with the subject.  It can be any subject, singular or plural, first or second person as well as the third person you might expect. It cannot be used in questions or negative statements. The emphasis is on the subject of the verb. It is widely used by those who favour Middle Cornish[1]:

Me ew skith.                                     I am tired.

Te ew wheg.                                     You are nice.

Ev ew tiek diek.                               He is a lazy farmer.

Hei ew skentel.                                She is clever.

Nei ew diwysyk.                              We are industrious.

Whei ew re holergh.                       You are too late.

Anjei ew gwenen.                           They are bees.

An maw ew an flogh vy.                The boy is my child.

An düs na ew drog.                        Those men are bad.

Jowan ew gocky.                            John is silly.

But:

O’vy skith?                                       Am I tired?

Nag os ta wheg.                              You are not nice.

O’nei diwysyk?                               Are we industrious?

Nag o’whei re holergh.                  You are not too late.

---

[1]  except that they use the spelling yw