Learn Hardcore Swahili: Bila utaratibu thabiti, usalama wa data unaweza kuzorota ghafla. - Without a solid procedure, data safety can suddenly deteriorate.

bila is a preposition meaning without. In Swahili, prepositions (like bila, kwenye, katika) directly govern the noun phrase that follows—they do not use genitive connectors. That’s why we say bila utaratibu thabiti (literally “without stable procedure”) instead of inserting ya or wa.

How is the noun utaratibu formed, and what noun class does it belong to?

The root taratibu means order or steps. By adding the prefix u-, we create the abstract noun utaratibu (“procedure,” “system”). That u- marks it as class 14, which is the class for many abstract concepts.

Why isn’t the adjective thabiti inflected to match utaratibu (for example uthabiti)?

thabiti is an Arabic loanword used as an indeclinable adjective in Swahili. Unlike native adjectives (mzuri → utamu, mkubwa → ukubwa), loan-adjectives like thabiti stay the same regardless of the noun class of what they modify.

Why does usalama wa data use wa as the connector, and not ya?

Genitive connectors in Swahili are determined by the class of the head noun (the thing being possessed). Here usalama (“security”) is class 14, so it takes wa. The second noun data is simply the possessed item, so we get usalama wa data (“security of data”).

Why is the verb phrase unaweza kuzorota formed with unaweza plus kuzorota, and not just zorota?

unaweza breaks down as:
- u- (subject prefix agreeing with class 14 usalama)
- -na- (present/future tense marker)
- weza (root “be able to”)
After a modal verb like weza, Swahili requires the following action in the infinitive form, which is built with ku-
- verb root. Hence kuzorota (“to deteriorate”).

Why do we say unaweza (with u-) and not inaweza here?

Subject prefixes must agree with the noun class of the subject. usalama is class 14, whose prefix is u-. Class 9/10 nouns often use i- or zi-, but not class 14. So we correctly say u-naweza, not i-naweza.

What part of speech is ghafla, and where does it typically appear in the sentence?

ghafla is an adverb meaning suddenly. Adverbs in Swahili are indeclinable and most commonly follow the verb or verb phrase. That’s why unaweza kuzorota ghafla is the neutral order.

Can ghafla be moved elsewhere for emphasis?

Yes. While the default is after the verb, you can front-load ghafla to highlight suddenness. For example:
• Ghafla, usalama wa data unaweza kuzorota.
This puts the emphasis on “suddenly” at the very start.