3. m. [_ev_] _an jevedh_ (for [_hen_] _en devez_. _devedh_).
3. f. [_hy_] _as tevedh_. [_he_] _e devez_.
1. [_ny_] _an_ (or _agan_) [_ni_] _hor bez_. _bedh_.
2. [_why_] _as_ (or _agas_) [_c’houi_] _ho pez_. _bedh_.
It will be seen here and in the other tenses that the pronouns in Breton do not produce exactly the same mutations as in Cornish. The _dh_ of Cornish is always written _z_ in Breton, though that is pronounced _dh_ in some dialects. The whole of this tense is found in the MSS.
1. [_mî_] _am bê_ [_me_] _em_ (or _am_) _boe_. [_bue_].
2. _tî ath fê_. [_te_] _ez_ (or _az_) _poe_.
3. m. [_ev_] _an jeve_. [_hen_] _en devoe_.
3. f. [_hy_] _as teve_. [_he_] _e devoe_.
1. [_ny_] _an_ (or _agan_) [_ni_] _hor boe_. _bê_.
2. [_why_] _as_ (or _agas_) [_c’houi_] _ho poe_. _bê_.
Only part of this tense is found in the MSS., but the rest is easily formed by analogy.
2. _tî ath fo_, _fetho_. _r’ az pezo_, _po_.
3. m. [_ev_] _an jevo_ (for _devo_, _r’ en devezo_, _devo_. written _gefo_ or _geffo_).
3. f. [_hy_] _as tevo_. _r’ e devezo_, _devo_.
1. [_ny_] _an_ (or _agan_) _bo_. _r’ hor bezo_, _bo_.
2. [_why_] _as_ (or _agas_) _bo_. _r’ ho pezo_, _po_.
3. [_y_] _as tevo_ (written _teffo_, _r’ o devezo_, _devo_. _tefo_).
In this tense the Breton does not use the nominative personal pronoun, except when it is a form of the future, but prefixes _r’_ (_ra_). In Cornish _re_ is used to make the optative and perfect, and in this case the _’th_ of the second person singular is not omitted, for _re’ th fo_ and _re ’th fê_ are the forms found.
A rather doubtful second tense (secondary present or imperfect), equivalent to the Breton _am boa_, may be conjectured in _am beua_ (_St. Mer._ 47, 1686), _am bethe_ may be the equivalent of the Breton imperfect subjunctive, _am bize_, _bije_, _befe_, and the third person singular of this may be the _an geffa_ of _St. Mer._ 20, 159. Dr. Whitley Stokes gives both these forms as secondary presents. There is also a possible pluperfect _te ny vea_, and _nyn gyfye_, found in the second and third persons singular.
One finds such forms as _am buef_, _as bethough_, _may ’stefons_, etc., as instances of pronominal inflections added to this verb, showing how completely its derivation was forgotten, and it is further confused by being perhaps mixed up with the verb _pewa_ (Welsh _piau_, Breton _piaoua_), to possess, a verb which in all three languages requires rather more disentangling than it has as yet received.