Passive Voice (-w-/-liw-/-ew-) in Swahili

Overview

The passive voice in Swahili shifts focus from the doer to the receiver of an action: "The book was written" instead of "The author wrote the book." At the CEFR B1 level, learning the passive is essential because it is far more common in Swahili than in English, appearing frequently in news, formal speech, and everyday conversation.

Swahili forms the passive by inserting -w- before the final vowel of the verb: penda (love) becomes pendwa (be loved), soma (read) becomes somwa (be read). Bantu vowel harmony governs which variant is used: -iw-/-ew- or -liw-/-lew-.

The agent (doer) in passive constructions is introduced by "na" (by): "Kitabu kiliandikwa na mwandishi" (The book was written by the author). This parallels English "by" constructions exactly.

How It Works

Passive Formation

Insert -w- before the final vowel (-a):

Active	Passive	Meaning
penda	pendwa	be loved
soma	somwa	be read
andika	andikwa	be written
pika	pikwa	be cooked
jenga	jengwa	be built

Vowel Harmony Variants

Verb ending	Passive form	Example
-a (default)	-wa	pikwa
-ia/-ea (applied)	-iwa/-ewa	pikia → pikiwa
-lia/-lea	-liwa/-lewa	ondolea → ondolewa

Passive with Tenses

Tense	Example	Meaning
Present	Kitabu kinasomwa.	The book is being read.
Past	Kitabu kilisomwa.	The book was read.
Perfect	Kitabu kimesomwa.	The book has been read.
Future	Kitabu kitasomwa.	The book will be read.

Agent with "na"

• Kitabu kiliandikwa na mwandishi maarufu. (The book was written by a famous author.)

Examples in Context

Swahili	English	Note
Kitabu kiliandikwa na mwandishi maarufu.	The book was written by a famous author.	Past passive + agent
Chakula kimepikwa.	The food has been cooked.	Perfect passive
Anapendwa na wote.	He/She is loved by everyone.	Present passive
Sheria hii ilipitishwa mwaka jana.	This law was passed last year.	Formal context
Nyumba inajengwa.	The house is being built.	Progressive passive
Barua imeandikwa.	The letter has been written.	Perfect passive
Kazi itafanywa kesho.	The work will be done tomorrow.	Future passive
Haikusomwa.	It was not read.	Negative passive
Watoto wanafundishwa vizuri.	The children are taught well.	Plural passive
Mti ulikatwa.	The tree was cut.	Class 3 passive

Common Mistakes

Wrong placement of -w-

• Wrong: andiwka (inserting -w- in wrong position)
• Right: andikwa (-w- before the final -a)
• Why: The passive -w- always comes immediately before the final vowel.

Forgetting vowel harmony in applied-passive

• Wrong: pikwa for "be cooked for"
• Right: pikiwa (passive of applied form pikia)
• Why: When the applied extension (-ia) is also present, the passive becomes -iwa.

Using active verb with passive meaning

• Wrong: Kitabu nilisoma. (intending "the book was read by me")
• Right: Kitabu kilisomwa na mimi. (The book was read by me.)
• Why: Swahili requires the -w- passive marking; you cannot convey passive meaning with active forms.

Usage Notes

Passive voice is much more frequent in Swahili than in English. Newspaper language, official documents, and academic writing use it extensively. "Inasemekana" (it is said), "inaaminika" (it is believed), and "imefanywa" (it has been done) appear constantly in formal Swahili.

The agentless passive (without "na" + agent) is common when the doer is unknown, unimportant, or obvious from context.

Practice Tips

1. Active-to-passive conversion: Take ten active sentences and convert them to passive, adjusting the subject and adding "na" for the agent.
2. News reading: Read Swahili news articles and identify passive constructions — they will be abundant.
3. Tense variation: Take one passive verb and conjugate it through all tenses: inasomwa, ilisomwa, imesomwa, itasomwa.

Related Concepts

• Prerequisite: Past Tense (-li-) — passive constructions require tense marker knowledge
• Next steps: Stative Extension (-ik-/-ek-) — a related extension indicating possibility or state
• Next steps: Complex Passive and Impersonal Constructions — advanced passive usage