In the passive voice, the subject receives the action. Passive voice always includes forms of the verb to be (is, was, is being, etc.)
In
Kiswahili, the passive voice is achieved by the addition of an infix -W-
1. Active: Mtu amebeba
punda [a person is carrying a
donkey]
Passive: Mtu amebebwa na punda [a person is being carried by a donkey]
2. Active: Baba ataomba
chakula [father will request
for food]
Passive: Baba ataombwa chakula [father will be asked for food]
3. Active: Gari limegonga
mti [the car has hit a tree]
Passive: Gari limegongwa na mti [the car has been hit by a tree]
|
Andika [to write] |
Andikwa [to be written] |
|
Omba [to ask/beg] |
Ombwa [to be asked/begged] |
|
Pika [to cook] |
Pikwa [to be cooked] |
|
Leta [bring] |
Letwa [be brought] |
|
Panga [arrange] |
Pangwa [be arranged] |
|
Panda [plant/climb] |
Pandwa [be planted/climbed] |
|
Beba [carry] |
Bebwa [be carried] |
|
Lipa [pay] |
Lipwa [be paid] |
|
Shinda [win] |
Shindwa [be won] |
|
Tisha [scare] |
Tishwa [be scared] |
|
Ficha [hide] |
Fichwa [be hidden] |
|
Verbs ending in double vowels‘oa’: use
infix ‘-LEW’ ‘ua’: use
infix ‘-LIW-‘ ‘aa’: use
infix ‘LIW-‘ ‘au’: use
infix ‘LIW-‘ |
|
|
Oa [marry] |
Olewa [be married] |
|
Toa [remove] |
Tolewa [be removed] |
|
Ua [kill] |
Uliwa [be killed] |
|
Chukua [take] |
Chukuliwa [be taken] |
|
Zaa [give birth] |
Zaliwa [be born] |
|
Kataa [refuse] |
Kataliwa [be refused] |
|
Sahau [forget] |
Sahauliwa [be forgotten] |
|
Verbs ending in ‘i’ and ‘u’ become ‘-iwa’ |
|
|
Fikiri [think] |
Fikiriwa [be thought about] |
|
Hitaji [need] |
Hitajiwa [be needed] |
|
Jaribu [try] |
Jaribiwa [be tried] |
|
Haribu [destroy] |
Haribiwa [be destroyed] |
|
Verbs ending in ‘e’ become ‘-ewa’ |
|
|
Samehe [forgive] |
Samehewa [be forgiven] |
Exercise 1
Translate: The song that was sung
Wimbo ambao niliimba
Wimbo ambao aliimba
Wimbo ambao uliimbwa
Wimbo ambao tuliimba
Which statement has a passive verb?
Mwalimu alimwita Hassan.
Hassan aliitwa na mwalimu.
Hassan atamwita mwalimu.
Hassan alisikia wito
Which statement does NOT have a passive verb?
Rinda lake lilivaliwa na Amina
Begi lako litachukuliwa
Mama amelea mtoto.
Chai imepikwa na mama
Mama _______________ uji
anapika
anapikwa
anapika
anapaka
Translate: The shoes will be bought by my brother
Viatu vitanunuliwa na kaka yangu
Kaka yangu atanunua viatu
Viatu vitanunuliwa na dada yangu
Viatu havitanunuliwa na kaka
Translate: The tree was planted by the boy
Mti ulipanda mvulana
Mti ulipandwa na mvulana
Mvulana alipanda mti
Mvulana alipandwa na mti
Translate: Chakula kilipikwa na Husna
Food cooked Husna
Food will be cooked by Husna
Husna cooked the food
Food was cooked by Husna
Which statement has a passive verb?
Ali alifua nguo
Kiatu kilivaliwa na Ali
Amina alinunua nguo
Osman alitengeneza redio
Which statement has a passive verb?
Ramani anasoma kitabu
Kitabu kinasomwa na Ramani
Ramani hasomi
Kitabu Ramani atasoma
Chakula__________________ na mpishi
alipika
kilipika
kilipikwa
alipikwa
Select the passive verb
pakua
nunua
kimbia
tolewa
Translate: He was warned by the teacher
Alionywa na mwalimu
Alionya mwalimu
Mwalimu alimuonya
Mwalimu alionywa
Zoezi [exercise]
Exercise 2: Translate the following to
Kiswahili.
a) To be cut
b) To be
answered
c) To be
loved
d) To be
finished
e) To be
forgiven
f) The bread
will be cut with a knife.
g) She is
known by the teacher.
h) The
potatoes were bought by the boy.
i) The house
is cleaned every day.
j) A good
book is read by many people.