Kikombe changu kimevunjika.

A simple breakdown is:

• kikombe = cup
• changu = my
• kimevunjika = has broken / is broken

So the whole sentence means something like:

• My cup has broken
• My cup is broken

The exact English wording depends on context.

Because Swahili verbs usually agree with their subject.

Here, kikombe belongs to a noun class that takes the subject marker ki- in the singular. So in:

• ki-me-vunjika

the ki- means the verb is agreeing with kikombe.

This kind of agreement is very normal in Swahili. Even when the noun is already stated, the verb still usually carries the matching subject prefix.

In Swahili, possessives must agree with the noun class of the noun they describe.

Since kikombe is a class 7 singular noun, my becomes changu with it:

• kikombe changu = my cup

You cannot just use one single form for my with every noun. For example:

• kitabu changu = my book
• vikombe vyangu = my cups
• nyumba yangu = my house

So changu is not a random form; it is the correct agreement form for this noun class.

-me- is a tense/aspect marker often called the perfect.

It usually shows that something has already happened and is relevant now. So:

• kimevunjika can mean has broken
• and by result, also is broken

That is why this sentence often feels like a present result of a past event.

Compare:

• kikombe changu kilivunjika = my cup broke
• kikombe changu kimevunjika = my cup has broken / is broken

This is a very important distinction.

• kimevunjika = it broke / it got broken / it is broken
• kimevunjwa = it was broken / it has been broken

The difference is that:

• vunjika is more like an intransitive or result-state form: the cup ended up broken
• vunjwa is a passive form: something or someone broke it

So:

• Kikombe changu kimevunjika focuses on the broken state or event
• Kikombe changu kimevunjwa suggests an action done to it, often by someone

If you want to mention the doer, vunjwa is more natural:

• Kikombe changu kimevunjwa na mtoto = My cup has been broken by the child

Depending on context, it can be understood in all of those ways, but the most natural English translations are:

• My cup has broken
• My cup is broken

Because of -me-, the sentence often implies a completed event with a present result.

If you want a clearer simple past meaning, Swahili often uses:

• Kikombe changu kilivunjika = My cup broke

So kimevunjika usually feels more connected to the present situation than kilivunjika.

Because in this sentence, the idea of is broken is already built into the verb kimevunjika.

Swahili does not always need a separate word equivalent to English is/are. Very often, the verb form itself expresses the whole idea.

So instead of saying something like cup my is broken, Swahili naturally says:

• Kikombe changu kimevunjika

The verb already tells you what state the cup is in.

Kikombe is a class 7 singular noun.

Its plural is vikombe, which is class 8.

So:

• kikombe = cup
• vikombe = cups

And the agreement changes too:

• Kikombe changu kimevunjika = My cup is broken
• Vikombe vyangu vimevunjika = My cups are broken

Notice how several things change in the plural:

• ki- → vi-
• changu → vyangu
• kime- → vime-

Yes, if the context makes it clear what you are talking about.

Because the verb already has the subject agreement ki-, kimevunjika can mean:

• It has broken
• It is broken

If everyone already knows you are talking about the cup, you do not need to repeat kikombe changu.

But if you are introducing the subject or you want to be clear, keeping the full noun phrase is better.

Because that is the normal Swahili order.

Swahili usually puts the noun first and the possessive after it:

• kikombe changu = my cup
• kitabu chako = your book
• nyumba yake = his/her house

So changu kikombe is not the normal way to say my cup.

For English speakers, this often feels backwards at first, but it is a very common pattern in Swahili.

It comes from the root -vunj-, related to breaking.

A helpful way to see it is:

• vunja = break something
• vunjika = break, become broken, get broken

Then the full form:

• ki-me-vunjika

can be understood as:

• ki- = class 7 subject marker
• -me- = perfect
• vunjika = become broken / be broken

So the whole verb means something like:

• it has become broken
• it is broken

That is why this form works so naturally for a broken cup.