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Sumu kali huhifadhiwa ndani ya kabati lililofungwa ofisini.

Sumu kali huhifadhiwa ndani ya kabati lililofungwa ofisini.
Strong poison is kept inside a locked cabinet in the office.
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Questions & Answers about Sumu kali huhifadhiwa ndani ya kabati lililofungwa ofisini.

What is the function of huhifadhiwa in this sentence and how is the passive formed in Swahili?

huhifadhiwa is the passive form of the verb ‘to store’ and here means “is stored.” In Swahili passive construction you:

  1. Take the verb root (here hifadhi, “store”)
  2. Add the passive suffix -wa → hifadhiwa
  3. Prefix the tense/aspect marker (here hu- for general/present tense) → huhifadhiwa

So hu- (present habitual/factual) + hifadhi (root) + -wa (passive) = huhifadhiwa (“is stored”).

Why is the adjective placed after the noun in sumu kali, and why doesn’t kali take a class prefix here?

In Swahili adjectives normally follow the noun they modify. Here:
• sumu = “poison” (noun)
• kali = “strong” or “harsh” (adjective)

Some adjectives, like kali, are invariable and do not take a noun-class prefix in singular or plural. So you simply say sumu kali for “strong poison.”

What does lililofungwa mean and how do the three li-s work in its formation?

lililofungwa is a relative clause meaning “which has been closed” or “that was locked.” Breakdown:

  1. First li- = relative prefix for a class 5 noun (here kabati)
  2. Second -li- = past-tense marker (perfect)
  3. funga = verb root “to close/lock”
  4. -wa = passive suffix

Putting it together: li- + li- + funga + wa → lililofungwa = “which was closed.”

Why does the sentence use ndani ya kabati instead of simply katika kabati or just kabati?

• ndani ya X literally means “inside of X.”
• katika X also means “in X,” but ndani ya emphasizes being inside the interior.
• The ya is the genitive connector agreeing with kabati (class 5).

So ndani ya kabati = “inside the cabinet,” whereas katika kabati could be “in/at the cabinet” more generally.

Why is ofisini used at the end, and what does the -ni suffix do?

Many place nouns in Swahili take the locative suffix -ni to mean “in/at.” Here:
• ofisi = “office”
• -ni = locative suffix

So ofisini = “in the office.” You could also say katika ofisi, but ofisini is shorter and very common.

There’s no word for “the” or “a” in the Swahili sentence. How is definiteness handled?

Swahili does not have articles like “a” or “the.” Context normally indicates whether you mean a general or specific item. If you need to point out a specific one, you can add a demonstrative:
• sumu kali hiyo = “that strong poison.”
But in a factual statement you simply say sumu kali huhifadhiwa… without any article.

How do we know kabati is a class 5 noun, and why does that matter?

Evidence that kabati is class 5:
• It takes the relative prefix li- in lililofungwa (class 5 relative marker).
• It uses the genitive connector ya in ndani ya kabati.

Knowing the noun class tells you which agreement prefixes and connectors (like ya, wa, la, za, etc.) to use with that noun.

Could we instead say kabati iliyofungwa? What’s the difference between kabati lililofungwa and kabati iliyofungwa?

Yes. Two common ways to form a relative clause:

  1. Bound relative with attached prefixes (here lililofungwa).
  2. Using a subject concord + tense + verb + suffix, e.g. kabati iliyofungwa:
    – i- (class 5 subject concord)
    – -li- (past tense)
    – funga- (root)
    – -wa (passive)

Both kabati lililofungwa and kabati iliyofungwa mean “the cabinet that was locked.” The first is more compact (bound form), the second spells out the subject concord explicitly.