Swahili forms the passive inside the lexical verb. The ordinary pattern replaces the base verb's final -a with a passive extension plus the final vowel: andika “write” becomes andikwa “be written.” Unlike English, Swahili needs no separate equivalent of “be” before a past participle.
The morphology is only half the change. Active mwandishi is the subject of andika, but passive barua becomes the subject of andikwa. That promoted participant now determines the subject marker, while tense, aspect, mood, and polarity retain their ordinary slots.
Begin with the argument structure
| Voice | Clause | Build | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| active | Mwandishi aliandika barua. | a-li-andik-a | writer = subject; letter = object |
| passive | Barua iliandikwa. | i-li-andik-w-a | letter = subject; writer omitted |
Mwandishi aliandika barua hiyo kabla ya mkutano.
The writer wrote that letter before the meeting.
Barua hiyo iliandikwa kabla ya mkutano.
That letter was written before the meeting.
The active subject marker a- agrees with class 1 mwandishi. In the passive, class 9 barua controls i- in i-li-andik-w-a. Passive -w- changes voice; past -li- remains past. For the syntactic consequences, see object promotion.
The default allomorph -w-
For most polysyllabic Bantu stems ending in consonant plus -a, remove only the final -a and add -w-a. The passive extension is therefore -w-; the final -a still closes the complete stem.
| Active | Passive build | Passive form |
|---|---|---|
| andik-a, write | andik-w-a | andikwa |
| som-a, read | som-w-a | somwa |
| pik-a, cook | pik-w-a | pikwa |
| jeng-a, build | jeng-w-a | jengwa |
| beb-a, carry | beb-w-a | bebwa |
| pig-a, hit | pig-w-a | pigwa |
Samaki anapikwa kwa nazi na limau leo.
The fish is being cooked with coconut and lemon today.
The build is a-na-pik-w-a: class 9 subject samaki, present -na-, root pik-, passive -w-, final -a. (Informal) conversation and (formal) prose use the same ordinary form.
Daraja jipya litajengwa upande wa kusini wa mji.
A new bridge will be built on the south side of town.
Class 5 daraja selects li- in li-ta-jeng-w-a. Future -ta- has not been replaced by the passive.
Why -iw- and -ew- appear
Directly attaching w would produce disfavored sequences after some stem shapes. Standard Swahili then uses a vowel-bearing passive shape, principally -iw- or -ew-. The distribution includes stems ending in l, w, or y, many loan stems ending in i, e, or u, short roots, and vowel-final stems with conventional adjustments. There is no single spelling trick that predicts every borrowed or historically irregular verb: established forms must be learned.
| Active | Analytic build | Passive | Reason to notice |
|---|---|---|---|
| tawala, govern | tawal-iw-a | tawaliwa | stem ends in l |
| gawa, distribute | gaw-iw-a | gawiwa | stem ends in w |
| kubali, accept | kubal-iw-a | kubaliwa | loan stem ending in i |
| jibu, answer | jib-iw-a | jibiwa | loan stem ending in u |
| samehe, forgive | sameh-ew-a | samehewa | surface mid-vowel sequence |
| pa, give | p-ew-a | pewa | short irregular root |
Ombi lako limekubaliwa, kwa hiyo unaweza kuanza kazi Jumatatu.
Your application has been accepted, so you can start work on Monday.
Li-me-kubal-iw-a contains class 5 agreement and perfect -me- before the vowel-bearing passive.
Maswali yote yalijibiwa kwa ufupi baada ya uwasilishaji.
All the questions were answered briefly after the presentation.
The form is ya-li-jib-iw-a, not a mechanically coined jibuwa. Class 6 maswali controls ya-.
Nimesamehewa kuchelewa kwa sababu basi liliharibika njiani.
I have been forgiven for being late because the bus broke down on the way.
In ni-me-sameh-ew-a, first-person ni- is subject agreement: “I” is the person forgiven. It is not an object marker.
Vowel-final stems and the linking l
Several stems ending in a sequence of vowels show l before the vowel-bearing passive: fungua → funguliwa, chukua → chukuliwa, toa → tolewa, and chagua → chaguliwa. The l is a conventional linking or historically restored segment; it does not add another participant.
Mlango wa dharura umefunguliwa, lakini msitumie lifti.
The emergency door has been opened, but do not use the lift.
The useful analysis is u-me-fungu-liw-a: class 3 u-, perfect -me-, base fungu-, linking l, passive sequence -iw-, final -a. Learners must memorize the established passive funguliwa rather than attach -wa to the visible infinitive.
Majina matatu yamechaguliwa kwa mahojiano ya mwisho.
Three names have been selected for the final interview.
The form ya-me-chagu-liw-a illustrates the same pattern. These forms are neutral in (formal) announcements and ordinary (informal) speech.
TAM and polarity stay to the left
Once the passive stem is established, it combines with ordinary subject and TAM morphology:
| Form | Build | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| inaandikwa | i-na-andik-w-a | it is being written |
| iliandikwa | i-li-andik-w-a | it was written |
| imeandikwa | i-me-andik-w-a | it has been written |
| itaandikwa | i-ta-andik-w-a | it will be written |
| haijaandikwa | ha-i-ja-andik-w-a | it has not yet been written |
Ratiba haijaandikwa bado; tutaituma ikikamilika.
The schedule has not been written yet; we will send it when it is complete.
English spreads “has not yet been written” across several words. Swahili packages the same architecture into ha-i-ja-andik-w-a. The passive is neither tense nor negation.
A first stacked passive
Passive stands after other derivational extensions. Applicative -i- can add a beneficiary, and passive -w- can then promote that beneficiary.
Wageni walipikiwa wali wa nazi na mwenyeji wao.
The guests had coconut rice cooked for them by their host.
Wa-li-pik-i-w-a contains subject wa-, past -li-, root pik-, applicative -i-, passive -w-, final -a. The active structure has a cook, guests, and rice; the passive makes wageni the subject, leaves wali as a remaining theme, and optionally expresses the cook with na. See passives after other extensions.
Common Mistakes
Adding English kuwa before every passive
❌ Barua ilikuwa iliandikwa jana.
Incorrect for the simple event ‘the letter was written yesterday’ — Swahili passive morphology already carries the voice.
✅ Barua iliandikwa jana alasiri.
The letter was written yesterday afternoon.
Treating -w- as a tense ending
❌ Kesho daraja wajengwa.
Incorrect — passive -w- cannot replace subject agreement and future -ta-.
✅ Kesho daraja litajengwa kuanzia saa mbili asubuhi.
Tomorrow the bridge will be built starting at eight in the morning.
Keeping the active subject concord
❌ Barua aliandikwa na katibu.
Incorrect — class 9 barua requires subject marker i-, not human a-.
✅ Barua iliandikwa na katibu.
The letter was written by the secretary.
Attaching -wa mechanically to a loan stem
❌ Maswali yote yalijibuwa papo hapo.
Incorrect passive form — jibu has the established passive jibiwa.
✅ Maswali yote yalijibiwa papo hapo.
All the questions were answered immediately.
Key Takeaways
- Default passive -w- follows most consonant-final bases; marked stem shapes use established -iw-/-ew- patterns.
- The passive is a derivational extension before final -a, not an English-style participle or a TAM marker.
- The promoted participant controls subject concord.
- TAM and polarity remain in their normal positions to the left of the stem.
- Vowel-final and borrowed verbs have conventional forms that must be learned rather than mechanically coined.
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Start learning Swahili →Related Topics
- Ordering Multiple ExtensionsC1 — Use the causative-applicative-reciprocal-passive tendency to parse extension stacks while allowing semantic scope, lexicalization, and attested ordering variation.
- Passive Agents with naB1 — Add an optional passive agent with na, distinguish that agent from an instrument, and choose active voice when responsibility must be unmistakable.
- Object Promotion in the PassiveB2 — Track how a theme, recipient, or applied object becomes the passive subject and takes over subject concord from the omitted agent.
- Ordering Multiple Prefixes CorrectlyA2 — Build complex Swahili verbs in the fixed order subject, TAM, object, root, extensions, and final vowel.
- Affirmative Subject Concord: Complete TableA2 — Choose the affirmative subject marker for each person and Swahili noun class, including forms that look alike.