Swahili Made Easy: A Beginner's Complete Course

LESSON 23. THE EKA AND lKA TENSES

76 SWAHILI MADE EASY LESSON 23 THE EKA AND lKA TENSES The eka and ika tenses denote a state; something has been done to the subject but no agent or doer is expressed. Observe the following sentences and note the difference between the stative and the passive forms: Kisu kimevunjwa na mpishi. The knife has been broken by a cook (passive). Kisu kimevunjika, The knive has broken (stative) Nguo imeraruliwa na mbwa, Her dress was torn by a dog (passive). Nguo yake imeraruka, Her dress is torn(stative). Children especially like this form because it does not implicate them. e.g. A child says: mama, kikombe kimevunjika “mother, the cup is broken”; not mama. nimevunja kikombe, “mother, I have broken the cup” PART ONE 77 SWAHILI AUXILIARY VERBS In Swahili two verbs are used as auxiliary verbs, namely, kuwa16 , “to be- and kuisha “to be completed “. This last verb is used as an auxiliary verb meaning “already.” e.g. Alikuwa akisoma He was reading when we tulipofika shuleni, arrived at school. Sasa baba atakuwa amefika. By now father will have arrived. KUISHA17 Wageni wamekwisha fika, The guests have already arrived. Je, umekwisha ona simba? Have you seen a lion? Nimekwisha kukwambia, I have already told you. It should not be concluded from the examples given above that all verbs ending in ka are stative. A few examples will show you that this is not the case. Consider: kupika, to cook, kupika ndizi, to cook bananas kuzika, to bury kuzika maiti. to bury a dead man kuandika, to write kuandika barua, to write a letter kufunika, to cover kufunika kitu, to cover up something kutandika, to set in order kutandika kitanda, to make a bed kuweka, to put, weka sahani mezani, put the plates on the table kushika, to hold. wameshika mwizi, they have 16 Kuwa is not used as anxiliary in present tense. 17 After kuisha you may use the verb with ku (all verbs) 78 SWAHILI MADE EASY caught the thief kuezeka, to thatch. kuezeka nyumba, to thatch a house kuvika, to dress. vika mtoto nguo, dress the child kucheka, to laugh. usimcheke maskini, do not laugh at a poor man kupaka ,to smear. kupaka nyumba rangi, to paint a house Kuteka, to draw (water) kuteka maji, to draw water kupeleka, to send. peleka barua hii posta, send this letter to the post office. Kulimbika, to save up. inafaa kulimbika mali, it is good to save up some wealth ...