Publication of the second edition of Gerlyver Kescows in printed form is expected once the new Gerlyver Brâs has been finalized. Meanwhile the full text of the Key Verb Tables section appears below. This may be modified from time to time in the light of comments. So if you are supportive of revived traditional Cornish and the Kernowek Standard spelling system, please let us know in the event you find any errors or think something might be improved.
Last updated: 11 June 2023 (17:00)
KEY VERB TABLES
There is quite a lot of variation in the forms of common inflected verbs, as spoken and as represented in writing. The forms given here are a starting-point, and are suitable for careful speech consistent with the vocabulary of this dictionary. Personal pronouns may always be omitted where the context is clear; they are rarely used with subjunctive forms. -ma can be clipped to -m where that does not result in a one-syllable word.
BOS
Imperative bëdh, bedhowgh
Present tense: forms to link to nouns / adjectives
ov vy or oma
os or osta
yw ev or yw va
yw hy
yw with noun subject
on ny
ow’why
yns y
Present tense: forms to express place and to use with ‘present participle’
yth esof vy or yth esoma
yth esos or yth esta
yma ev or yma va
yma hy
yma with noun subject
yth eson ny
yth eso’why
ymowns y
Particle yth drops as grammar requires.
Interrogative, relative, after particle, after subordinating conjunction:
yma becomes eus or (if definite subject) usy (ujy)
ymowns becomes usons
But yma / ymowns are retained after prag and question phrases formed with py, and become ma / mowns after may
Imperfect tense: forms to link to nouns / adjectives
en vy
es jy
o ev or o va
o with noun subject
en ny
ew’why
êns y
Imperfect tense: forms to express place and to use with ‘present participle’
yth esen vy
yth eses jy
yth esa ev or yth esa va
yth esa hy
yth esa with noun subject
yth esen ny
yth ese’why
yth esens y
Particle yth drops as grammar requires.
Future tense (also habitual present)
y fedhaf vy or y fedhama
y fedhys jy
y fëdh ev
y fëdh hy
y fëdh with noun subject
y fedhyn ny
y fedho’why
y fedhons y
Particle y drops as grammar requires.
The underlying initial consonant is b, so these forms begin with v after any word triggering 2nd State mutation: e.g. a vedhaf vy.
Habitual imperfect habitual / future in the past
y fedhen vy
y fedhes jy
y fedha ev
y fedha hy
y fedha with noun subject
y fedhen ny
y fedhe’why
y fedhens y
Particle y drops as grammar requires.
The underlying initial consonant is b, so these forms begin with v after any word triggering 2nd State mutation: e.g. a vedhen vy.
Preterite tense
y feuv vy or y feuma
y feus jy or y feusta
y feu ev or y feuva
y feu hy
y feu with noun subject
y feun ny
y few’why
y fowns y
Particle y drops as grammar requires.
The underlying initial consonant is b, so these forms begin with v after any word triggering 2nd State mutation: e.g. a veuv vy.
Conditional tense
y fien vy
y fies jy
y fia ev
y fia hy
y fia with noun subject
y fien ny
y fie’why
y fiens y
Particle y drops as grammar requires.
The underlying initial consonant is b, so these forms begin with v after any word triggering 2nd State mutation: e.g. a vien vy.
Present subjunctive
y fiv or y fyma
y fy or y fosta
y fo
y fen
y fowgh
y fowns
Particle y drops as grammar requires.
The underlying initial consonant is b, so these forms begin with v after any word triggering 2nd State mutation: e.g. a viv.
Imperfect subjunctive
y fen
y fes or y festa
y fe
y fen
y fewgh
y fêns
Particle y drops as grammar requires.
The underlying initial consonant is b, so these forms begin with v after any word triggering 2nd State mutation: e.g. a ven.
BOS IN SENSE OF ‘HAVE’
Literary Cornish has a full set of tenses. Those given here are the only ones encountered in ordinary speech.
Present tense
y’m beus
y’th eus
y’n jeves
y’s teves
y’gan beus
y’gas beus
y’s teves
Particle y is replaced by particle a as grammar requires.
Future tense
y’m bÿdh
y’fÿdh
y’n jevyth
y’s tevyth
y’gan bÿdh
y’gas bÿdh
y’s tevyth
Particle y is replaced by particle a as grammar requires; note second person singular a’fÿdh – 5th State mutation is retained because of elided ’th. In alternative spellings y’th fÿdh and a’th fÿdh, the 5th State mutation is irregular.
Imperfect tense
y’m bo
y’th o
y’n jeva
y’s teva
y’gan bo
y’gas bo
y’s teva
Particle y is replaced by particle a as grammar requires.
Note also present subjunctive re’fo and re’gas bo ‘may you have’ used in wishes. In alternative spelling re’th fo, the 5th State mutation is irregular.
MYDNAS followed by verb-noun
The underlying initial consonant is m, but 2nd State forms are given here because in speech they are the ones most frequently heard.
Present tense
Except in fixed expressions this tense has auxiliary force only, expressing a future tense of the verb that is used with it.
vadnaf vy or vydnaf vy or vadnama or vydnama
vydnys jy or vynta
vydn ev
vydn hy
vydn with noun subject
vydnyn ny
vydno’why
vydnons y
For some speakers the first vowel is e rather than y.
Imperfect tense
This tense may be used with original desiderative sense; it also expresses a future in the past of the verb that is used with it.
vydnen vy
vydnes jy
vydna ev
vydna hy
vydna with noun subject
vydnen ny
vydne’why
vydnens y
For some speakers the first vowel is e rather than y.
Preterite tense
This tense retains original desiderative sense, and is one way to say ‘decided to’ in Cornish.
vydnys vy
vynsys jy
vydnas ev
vydnas hy
vydnas with noun subject
vynsyn ny
vynso’why
vynsons y
Conditional tense
Except in fixed expressions this tense has auxiliary force only, expressing a conditional tense (or in Late Cornish a future tense) of the verb that is used with it.
vensen vy
venses jy
vensa ev
vensa hy
vensa with noun subject
vensen ny
vense’why
vensens y
There are alternative forms venjen vy etc.
Subjunctive
This is a merger of earlier present and imperfect subjunctives.
vednen or vydnyf
vednes or vynhy
vydna or vynha
vednyn
vednowgh
vednons
GWIL + verb-noun when used as auxiliary
The underlying initial consonants are gw, but 2nd State forms are given here (except for the imperative) because in speech they are the ones most frequently heard.
Imperative
The imperative retains its sense of ‘make / do’, but as an auxiliary it also forms the imperative of the verb that is used with it.
gwra, gwrewgh
Present / future tense
Except in fixed expressions this tense has auxiliary force only, expressing a future tense of the verb that is used with it.
wrav vy or wrama
wres jy or wrêta
wra ev or wra va
wra hy
wra with noun subject
wren ny
wrew’why
wrowns y
For most speakers the initial w in these forms is silent.
The imperfect tense is not common in speech.
Preterite tense
This tense retains its sense of ‘make / do’, but as an auxiliary it also forms the preterite tense of the verb that is used with it.
wrug vy or wrug avy or wrugama
wrussys jy or wrusta
wrug ev
wrug hy
wrug with noun subject
wrussyn ny
wrusso’why
wrussons y
For most speakers the initial w in these forms is silent. When wrug (4th State qwrug, 5th State whrug) is used as an auxiliary the vowel is shortened.
Conditional tense
wrussen vy
wrusses jy
wrussa ev
wrussa hy
wrussa with noun subject
wrussen ny
wrusse’why
wrussens y
For most speakers the initial w in these forms is silent.
Subjunctive
This is a merger of earlier present and imperfect subjunctives.
wrellen
wrelles
wrella
wrellen
wrellowgh
wrellons
For some speakers the middle consonant in these forms is voiceless, and it is occasionally written lh instead of ll.
DOS
‘if I [do sth]’ etc
mar teuv (tov) ha
mar teth ha
mar teu ha
mar teu + noun subject ha
mar teun ha
mar tewgh ha
mar towns ha
Followed by verb-noun
‘if I were to [do sth]’ or ‘if I had [done sth]’ etc
mar teffen ha
mar teffes ha
mar teffa ha
mar teffa + noun subject ha
mar teffen ha
mar teffowgh ha
mar teffons ha
Followed by verb-noun
GALLOS + verb-noun
The underlying initial consonant is g, but 2nd State forms are given here because in speech they are the ones most frequently heard.
Present / future tense
allaf vy or allama
yllyth jy or yllysta or ylta
yll ev
yll hy
yll with noun subject
yllyn ny
yllo’why
yllons y
Specifically future tense
ylvyth ev
ylvyth hy
ylvyth with noun subject
Imperfect tense
yllyn vy
yllys jy
ylly ev
ylly hy
ylly with noun subject
yllyn ny
ylle’why
yllens y
Conditional tense
alsen vy
alses jy
alsa ev
alsa hy
alsa with noun subject
alsen ny
alse’why
alsens y
There are alternative forms aljen vy etc.
Subjunctive
This is a merger of earlier present and imperfect subjunctives.
allen
alles or ylly
alla
allon
allowgh
allons
GODHVOS + verb-noun when used as auxiliary
The underlying initial consonant is g, but 2nd State forms are given here because in speech they are the ones most frequently heard.
The imperative is not common in speech.
Present tense
wòn vy or worama
wodhes jy or wosta
wor ev
wor hy
wor with noun subject
wodhyn ny or woryn ny
wodho’why or woro’why
wodhons y
Future tense
wodhvedhys jy
wodhvyth ev
wodhvyth hy
wodhvyth with noun subject
Imperfect tense
wodhyen vy
wodhyes jy
wodhya ev
wodhya hy
wodhya with noun subject
wodhyen ny
wodhyowgh why
wodhyens y
The conditional tense is not common in speech.
Subjunctive
This is a merger of earlier present and imperfect subjunctives.
wothfen
wothfes
wothfa
wothfen
wothfowgh
wothfons
CARA
The underlying initial consonant is c, but 2nd State forms are given here because in speech they are the ones most frequently heard.
Conditional + verb-noun
‘would like to’
garsen vy
garses jy
garsa ev
garsa hy
garsa with noun subject
garsen ny
garso’why
garsens y
The underlying initial consonant is g, but 2nd State forms are given here because in speech they are the ones most frequently heard. Note that negative forms mean ‘would hate to’ rather than merely ‘would not like to’.
MEDHES ‘to say’
This old verb is rarely heard in speech, but it is very common in written story-telling. The forms are present tense, but they also correspond to English past tense forms: the effect in Cornish is more vivid.
yn medhaf ‘I say’, ‘I said’
yn medh ‘he says’, ‘she says’, 'it says', ‘he said’, ‘she said’, 'it said'
yn medhans ‘they say’, ‘they said’
Personal pronouns are not used with yn medhaf or yn medhans. Personal pronouns are only used with yn medh when the sense requires it to distinguish different speakers.