The Lessons and Exercices
We start with the first lesson, introducing you to the verb ‘boaz’ - ‘to be’, the most common verb in any language. Be sure that you master this completely before you move on - it will make life so much easier as you progress.
Where you are; what you are doing.
Statements
1 |
2 |
theram = I am |
a (1) poonia = running |
thesta = you are [sing.] |
a tebry = eating |
ma e [or] |
a eva = drinking |
mava = he is |
a omdhal = fighting |
ma hei = she is |
a kîl = making, doing |
ma’n dean = the man is |
a kerraz = walking |
ma Jowan = John is |
a gwary = playing |
ma’n flehaz = the children are |
a moaz = going |
thera nei = we are |
a toaz = coming |
thera whei = you are [plur.] |
a redia = reading |
mownz = they are |
a cana = singing |
3 |
4 |
en (2) = in |
an chy = the house |
et (2) = in |
an gegen = the kitchen |
war = on |
an looar = the garden |
dadn = under |
an drea = the town |
reb = beside |
an darraz = the door |
dha / da (3) = to |
an kea = the hedge |
obma = here |
an bord = the table |
enna = there |
an treath = the beach |
drez = over |
an leath = the milk |
tewa = towards |
an dezan = the cake |
1. The verbal particle ‘a’ is often left out, or in the case of ‘theram’, joined on to the end of it - [see example below].
2. ‘en is used before consonants; et is used before vowels of possessive adjectives and of pronouns, but rarely before an
3. When followed by an, the ‘a’ of an can be replaced by an apostrophe [’] though this is not obligatory: dha + n > dha'n or dhan
Note! There is no word in Cornish for ‘a’; i.e., a house’ is simply ‘chy’.
Note! Nouns in Cornish are either masculine or feminine, but don’t worry about this yet.
Now from the above boxes make as many easy sentences as you can, using the following combinations:
1+2; 1+2+3+4; 1+3+4.
For example:
1+2 ‘Theram a moaz’ = I am going’ [or, as described above, ‘therama moaz].
1+2+3+4 ‘Ma’n dean a tebry en gegen’ - ‘the man is eating in the kitchen’.
1+3+4 ‘Ma Jowan a moaz dha'n drea’ = ‘John is going to the town’ (and as in Note 3 above, the ‘dha'n’ could be written ‘dhan’.)
* Group 2 on the previous page can be followed by a noun object before continuing with Groups 3 and 4 in the lower box, e.g.,
‘Therama keel bord en gegen’ — ‘I am making a table in the kitchen’
Here are same more words for you to construct simple sentences.
| Nouns |
an lever = the book |
an booz = the food |
an levrow = the books |
an bolla = the cup |
moes / moze = a girl |
an gwily = the bed |
an muzzy = the girls |
an forh = the fork |
benen = a woman |
colhel = a knife |
an venen = the woman |
an golhel = the knife |
an benenaz = the women |
an lo = the spoon |
| Verbs |
a gwerha = selling |
a hoola = crying |
a perna = buying |
a pobaz = baking |
a crambla = climbing |
a codha = falling |
a carma = shouting |
a toan = carrying |
a wherhin = laughing |
a cuska = sleeping |
a lebmal = jumping |
a screffa = writing |
* Don’t forget - You can omit the partical ‘a’ or join it to theram |
Negatives
These are very easy for you now that you have learnt the basic pattern. Simply alter Group 1 in the Box on the previous page to the following:
Nag eram = I am not Nag idge Jowan = John is not
Nag esta = you are not [s] Nag idge an flehaz = The children are not
Nag idgeva = he is not Nag era nei = We are not
Nag idge hei = she is not Nag era whei = You are not [plur.]
Nag idge an dean = the man is not Nag idge anjei = They are not
Note: The final e is pronounced like English ee. idge may be written igge.
Now join up boxes as you did before to make fresh sentences, e.g.,
‘Nag erama pobaz en gegen’ - ‘I am not baking in the kitchen’
‘Nag idge an flehaz a carma’ - ‘The children are not shouting’.
* ‘Nag idge....’ is used when there is a definite subject, i.e., ‘He is not...’, ‘John is not...’, ‘They are not...’ etc.
When an indefinite subject is governing the clause, then ‘Nag idge’ is replaced by ‘Nag ez [also spelt eze ]
e.g., ‘a boy is not..... [really, ‘there isn’t a boy’].
This will be more obvious when we look at questions below.
Questions
Again this is very easy for you. This time all you have to do is to knock off the ‘Nag’ in the negative statement! Thus Group 1 becomes:
| eram....? = am I...? |
idge Jowan...? = Is John...? |
| esta.......? = are you...? [s] |
idge an flehaz...? = Are the children...? |
| idgeva...? = Is he...? |
era nei...? = Are we...? |
| idge hei...? = Is she...? |
era whei...? = Are you...? [plur.] |
| idge an dean...? = is the man...? |
idge anjei...? = Are they...? |
Replies
‘Yes’ is translated into Cornish by ‘Ea’, and ‘No’ by ‘Na’, often followed by a repetition of the question, e.g.
‘Era whei moaz dha Redruth? - ‘Are you going to Redruth?’
‘Ea, thera nei moaz hedhow’ - ‘Yes, we are going today’
‘Na, nag era nei moaz’ - ‘No, we are not going’.
Occasionally, following the practice of Mediaeval Cornish, both the affirmative and the negative answers to questions leave out the ‘ Ea’ and ‘Na’, and become straightforward repetitions of the question itself, thus:
‘Era whei a moaz?’ - ‘Are you going?’ ‘Thera nei a moaz’ - ‘We are going’.
‘Nag era nei a moaz’ - ‘We are not going’.
Although this old form is occasionally used, the normal method employed in Modern Cornish is to utilise ‘Ea’ and ‘Na’.
Negative Questions
No problem! Just use the negative statement already learnt on page 6 and simply alter the tone of the voice.
‘Nag idge Jowan a toaz?’ - ‘Isn’t John coming?’
(Formerly the particle ‘a’ was used to introduce the question, and although not incorrect in Modern Cornish, it is rarely used.)
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