A Handbook of the Cornish Language

§ 2 Gwîl (Older Guthil, Gruthil, Guil, Gul), to Do

I. Present or Future Tense, I do, or I shall do.

(a). Inflected.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwrav, gwrama.	1. gwren, gwron.
2. gwreth, gwrês, gwresta.	2. gwreugh, gwrough.
3. gwra.	3. gwrons.

Gwrama, gwresta, in the second mutation wrama, wresta, are used in interrogative and negative sentences, and after mar, if, in the fourth mutation qwrama, qwresta. The older form of gwresta was gwreta. Occasionally in late Cornish a form of this present is found exactly like the imperfect of bos; therama, thera, etc. This is probably wrama, wra, with the verbal particle ăth (yth) prefixed. It occurs in cases where it cannot possibly be the imperfect of bos. Lhuyd (pp. 246, 253) was rather puzzled by it, but with his usual clearness of sight was able to find out the real facts.

(b). Impersonal.

Mî a wra, tî a wra, ev a wra, etc.

II. The Imperfect Tense, I was doing.

(a). Inflected.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwrellen, gwren.	1. gwrellen, gwren.
2. gwrelles, gwres.	2. gwrelleugh.
3. gwrella, gwre.	3. gwrellens.

(b). Impersonal.

Mî a wrella, tî a wrella, etc.

This tense is seldom used as an auxiliary, and is often confused with the subjunctive.

III. The Perfect Tense, I did.

(a). Inflected.

Old form.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwrugaf, gwruge.	1. gwrussyn.
2. gwrussys.	2. gwrussough.
3. gwruk.	3. gwrussons.

Later form of old form.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwrîgaf, gwrîga.	1. gwressen, gwreithen.
2. gwresses.	2. gwressough, gwreithough.
3. gwrîg.	3. gwressons, gwreithons.

Modern form.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwrîgav vi.	1. gwrîgon ny.
2. gwrîs, gwrîsta, gwrîges dî.	2. gwrîgough why.
3. gwrîg, gwrîga, gwrês.	3. gwrîgans y.

The last form seems to have completely superseded the other in late Cornish. It seems to be formed by taking the irregular third person singular as a root, and forming the rest of the persons from it on the analogy of the present tense. Where it is found—and the first person occurs as early as Jordan’s Drama of The Creation (e.g. ny wrugaf, 1. 1662)—it is generally written without the final consonants of the verb, which, as in the imperfect tense of the verb to be, seem to coalesce with the initials of the pronouns. One finds the forms rig a vee, rigga vee, rigon ny, rigo why, rig an jy, these being preceded by adverbs, conjunctions, etc., such as na, pan, etc., which put the initial in the second state, and the w being almost silent is omitted. The form wruge (=wrîga), occurs in Origo Mundi, 2250, and Passio Christi, 930, for the first person singular, preceded by pan, when. The same word occurs for the third person in O. M. 423, and in the form wrega in Jordan’s Creation, 2216. This is wrîg with the added a (see p. 120). A form of the third person singular of this tense, ros (for wros, second state of gwros), may possibly be found in the Ordinalia and in St. Meriasek, in the expression, re Thu am ros, by God who made me. But it is more probably the preterite of ry, to give, as it occurs also in the phrase re’n arluth dhen beys am ros, by the Lord who gave me to the world. Wraze (=wrês, cf. Breton, greaz) occurs in Gen. iii. 7.

(b). Impersonal.

Mî a wrîg, tî a wrîg, etc.

IV. The Pluperfect or Conditional Tense, I had or would have done.

(a). Inflected.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwressen (older form gwrussen).	1. gwressen.
2. gwresses.	2. gwresseugh.
3. gwressa.	3. gwressens.

(b). Impersonal.

Mî a wressa, tî a wressa, etc.

V. The Subjunctive, I may do.

(a). Inflected.

Singular.	Plural.
1. gwrellev (older gwryllyf).	1. gwrellon, gwrellen.
2. gwrelly, gwrelles.	2. gwrellough, gwrelleugh.
3. gwrello, gwreffa.	3. gwrellens, gwrons.

There is rather a confusion of the subjunctive and imperfect, and the two are used rather indiscriminately. The third person plural, gwrons, is borrowed from the imperative.

(b). The Impersonal.

Mî a wrello, tî a wrello, etc.

Mî a wreffa, tî a wreffa, etc.

VI. The Imperative.

Singular.	Plural.
1. wanting.	1. gwren, let us do.
2. gwra, do thou.	2. gwreugh, do ye.
3. gwrens, let him do.	3. gwrens, gwrons, let them do.

Infinitive, gîl, gwîl, to do.

Present or Active Participle, ow kîl, doing.

Past or Passive Participle, gwrês, done.

When this verb is used otherwise than as an auxiliary, the future is mî a vedn gwîl, I will do, etc. It means, as a principal verb, to do or to make, and tenses may be formed with its own tenses as auxiliaries to its infinitive. Thus:—

Mî a wra gwîl, I do or I make.

Tî a wrîg gwîl, thou hast made.

Mar qwressa ’n den e wîl, if the man would make it.