THE PASSIVE FORM OF THE VERB

 

 

 

 

An active sentence with an object can be changed into a passive sentence. Passive sentences are far more common in Shingazidja than in European languages.

 

When an active sentence is changed into passive, four things happen:

 

1.      The object of the active sentence becomes subject of the passive sentence.

 

2.      The verb subject must agree with the new sentence subject.

 

3. W is inserted into the verb stem before the final ending (-A, -E, or -I).

 

3.      The subject of the active sentence becomes "agent" of the passive sentence, i.e., the one "by whom" the action is done. The agent is preceded ni  if  it is indefined(article); and by ne if the agent is defined (article) .

 

Active: MAMA HAPIHA YE SHAHULA   Mother  cooked the food

subject verb object

 

Passive YE SHAHULA SHIPIHWA NI MAMA The food was cooked by mother

subject verb agent

 

Active: YE MDZADZE HAPIHA YE SHAHULA   The woman cooked the food

subject verb object

 

Passive YE SHAHULA SHIPIHWA NE MDZADZE  The food was cooked by the woman

subject verb agent

 

Basically the passive suffix is W, but the consonant vs. vowel ending of the verb (before the final ending -A) will dictate whether anything more than W needs to be included. On this basis, five varieties of verbs can be distinguished:

 

1. Verbs ending in a consonant + the final ending.

 

2. Verbs ending in I or E + the final ending>(IA, EA)

 

3. Verbs ending in A, U, or O + the final ending>(AA, UA, OA)

 

4. Verbs of non-Bantu origin

 

5. Monosyllabic verbs

 

VERBS ENDING IN A CONSONANT + ENDING (A): INSERT W.

 

W is a special kind of consonant, sometimes called a half-vowel (a shorter version of U); therefore it can follow directly after another consonant.

 

Hupiha to cook  Hupihwa  to be cooked

 

Hufunga to lock  Hufungwa to be locked

 

Hushinda to defeat  Hushindwa to be defeated

 

Hulima  to cultivate Hulimwa to be cultivated

 

Hucanca to vaccinate Hucancwa to be vaccinated

 

Huruma  to delegate  Hurumwa   to be delegated

 VERBS ENDING IN IA OR EA: INSERT W

 

Huamba to tell Huambiwa to be told

 

Husaidia to help Husaidiwa to be helped

 

Huangalia to watch, look after Huangaliwa to be watched, looked after

 

Huombea to pray for someone Huombewa to be prayed by someone

 

VERBS ENDING IN AA, UA, OR OA: INSERT L + I or E + W:

 

The choice of I or E depends on the preceding vowel in the verb: see paragraph 105.B.

 

Huzaa to give birth  Huzaliwa to be born (to have one's wife give birth )

 

Hufua to wash, to launder Hufuliwa to be washed (laundered)

 

 

 

VERBS OF NON-BANTU ORIGIN: CHANGE FINAL VOWEL TO I: ADD W + ENDING (A IN INFINITIVE)

 

Hudjaribu to try out, to test  Hudjaribiwa to be tried out, tested

 

Husalimu to greet Husalimiwa to be greeted

 

Huhutadjia to have a need of  Huhutadjiwa to be needed

 

Hukubali  to accept kukubaliwa to be accepted

 

Note the following exceptions:

 

Husamihi to forgive Husamihilwa to be forgiven

 

 THE MONOSYLLABIC VERBS: MUST BE LEARNED INDIVIDUALLY

 

Only few of them are transitive in their simple form.

 

Hula to eat Huliwa to be eaten, eroded

 

kupva to give Hupvwawa to be given

 

Hunwa to drind, to absorb Hunulwa to be drunk up, absorbed

 

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