Impersonal Passive Meaning

Level 3

The impersonal passive focuses on what happens rather than who does it, often translating to "It is said" or "[X] is done."

How It Works

The impersonal passive is used to describe actions or general states without attributing them to a specific subject. It serves specific functions in Swahili:

1. Impersonal Passives with Dummy Subjects
One type of impersonal passive uses a "dummy" subject prefix because there is no actual subject. This is usually the Class 9 prefix i- or a locative prefix like ku-.

  • Inasemwa... (It is said...)
  • Kunaombwa. (There is praying going on / It is requested.)

Generally, the Class 9 prefix i- is used with verbs of communication, cognition, or perception, while the locative prefix ku- is used for physical actions, events, or general states. A unique feature of the ku- locative impersonal passive is that it allows intransitive verbs (verbs that don't take an object) to be passivized, which is generally not possible in English without adding a preposition (like "The bed was slept in"). For example, Kunalalwa means "There is sleeping going on.".

2. The Agentless Passive (A Distinct Category)
Do not confuse the impersonal passive with a standard passive where the agent is just dropped. In a sentence like Mlango umevunjwa (The door has been broken), mlango is the grammatical subject. This is a personal passive, not an impersonal one.

3. The Impersonal "Wa-" Construction
In Bantu linguistics, the term "impersonal passive" is also widely used to describe the use of the Class 2 subject prefix (wa-) for an unspecified human agent. Swahili often bypasses the formal passive entirely for general statements. Instead of saying "It is said" (Inasemwa), speakers frequently use this 3rd-person plural active form: Wanasema... (They say...).

Important Distinctions:
English speakers often use the passive voice simply to change word order and put the object first. While Swahili can use the passive with a known agent introduced by na (e.g., Kitabu kilisomwa na Asha), it often prefers using the active voice with an object infix for simple topicalization (e.g., Kitabu hiki, Asha alikificha = "This book, Asha hid it").

Recognizing the Verb:
Kunaombwa msaada (Help is being requested) contains ku-na-omb-w-a: locative subject, present tense and a passive stem. It is one finite verb, not existential kuna followed by an unrelated word. Locative pa- and mu-/m- also exist for a particular spot and an interior; the choice depends on the construction and spatial perspective.

Examples (4)

  1. Inasemwa kwamba mvua itanyesha kesho.

    It is said that it will rain tomorrow.

    Word by Word: It-is-said that rain it-will-rain tomorrow.

    A true impersonal passive using the Class 9 dummy subject prefix 'i-', which is typically used for verbs of communication, cognition, or perception.

  2. Kunaombwa.

    There is praying going on / It is requested.

    Word by Word: There-is-being-prayed.

    An impersonal passive using the locative dummy subject 'ku-'. While it can describe a general activity ('praying is happening'), it is also heavily used in formal contexts to mean 'It is requested' (e.g., Kunaombwa ushirikiano - Cooperation is requested).

  3. Kunalalwa sasa.

    There is sleeping going on now.

    Word by Word: There-is-being-slept now.

    The locative impersonal passive allows even intransitive verbs (like 'lala', sleep) to be passivized to describe a general state or action.

  4. Wanasema kwamba bei zitapanda.

    They say (it is said) that prices will rise.

    Word by Word: They-say that prices they-will-rise.

    A common alternative to the impersonal passive: using the active Class 2 'wa-' (they) as a general subject.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the passive to describe a state of being instead of the stative extension.

    Different MeaningDirisha limevunjwa.
    Dirisha limevunjika.

    If you want to say "The window is broken" (describing its state), use the stative extension (-ika). Using the passive (-wa) means "The window was broken (by someone)," implying an external agent.

  • Adding just -wa to vowel-ending verbs instead of the correct extended suffix.

    Kitabu hiki kinanunuwa sana.
    Kitabu hiki kinanunuliwa sana.

    Verbs ending in double vowels require -liw- or -lew- for the passive, not just -w-. 'Nunua' becomes 'nunuliwa'.

How It Connects

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Impersonal Passive MeaningLevel 3

Learn This First

To understand the impersonal passive, you first need to be comfortable with how the passive extension (-wa) is formed on a verb. You also need to understand how subject markers work, as the impersonal passive uses specific class markers to represent a general 'it' or 'things' without a specific actor. Finally, familiarity with agentless passives provides the conceptual foundation for presenting actions as general rules.