-ki-

Simultaneous -ki-

Level 2

The -ki- infix is used to express an ongoing background action, similar to "-ing" or "while doing" in English. It shows that two actions are happening simultaneously.

How It Works

The simultaneous -ki- is incredibly common in Swahili for describing overlapping actions.

How to form it:
Subject Prefix + ki + [Object Prefix] + Verb Stem

Examples:
Niliwaona wakicheza. (I saw them playing.)
Niliwaona wakimpiga. (I saw them hitting him.)

Important Rules:

Monosyllabic verbs: Unlike some other tenses, -ki- can carry phonetic stress, so short verbs drop their infinitive ku-. For example, "while eating" is akila. (Note: You will often hear akikula in spoken East African Swahili, but akila is the textbook standard).
Vowel-initial verbs: The -ki- attaches directly to the vowel without changes, like akiimba (while singing).
Verbs of state: For verbs like kulala (to sleep) or kuvaa (to wear), -ki- describes the action of getting into the state (e.g., akilala = falling asleep). To describe being in the state (e.g., sleeping, wearing), use the Perfect -me- (amelala).
Continuous tenses: The simultaneous -ki- is frequently paired with the auxiliary verb kuwa (to be) to form continuous tenses, such as the past progressive (e.g., Nilikuwa nikisoma = I was reading).
No direct negative: You cannot negate the simultaneous -ki- directly. To say "I saw him not reading," you use the present negative of the second verb: Nilimwona hasomi.

Don't confuse it with:

The conditional -ki- ("if"), which looks identical but usually comes before the main verb (e.g., Akisoma, nitafurahi = If he reads, I will be happy).
The consecutive -ka-, which is used for actions happening one after another, not at the same time.

Examples (4)

Nilimwona akicheza mpira.
I saw him playing football.
Word by Word: I-past-him-see he-while-play ball
The main verb is in the past tense, so the -ki- action ("playing") also happened in the past.
Alitembea barabarani akiimba.
He walked down the street singing.
Word by Word: He-past-walk street-at he-while-sing
This shows two actions happening at the exact same time: walking and singing.
Watakuwa wakisoma kitabu.
They will be reading a book.
Word by Word: They-will-be they-while-read book
Here, -ki- pairs with the auxiliary verb kuwa to form the future progressive tense.
Tuliwakuta wakila chakula cha jioni.
We found them eating dinner.
Word by Word: We-past-them-find they-while-eat food of evening
Notice that the short verb -la (eat) drops its infinitive ku- to become wakila.

Common Mistakes

Keeping the 'ku-' on short (monosyllabic) verbs in standard Swahili.
Nilimwona akikula.
Nilimwona akila.
Because the -ki- marker can carry phonetic stress, standard Swahili requires dropping the infinitive ku- on short verbs like -la (eat) and -ja (come). However, note that 'akikula' is very common in everyday spoken East African Swahili.
Using -ki- for ongoing states like sleeping or wearing.
Nilimwona akilala kitandani.
Nilimwona amelala kitandani.
For verbs of state or posture (like kulala or kuvaa), -ki- means getting into the state ('falling asleep' or 'putting on clothes'). To say someone is currently in that state ('sleeping' or 'wearing'), you must use the perfect marker -me-.
Trying to negate the simultaneous -ki- with -sipo-.
Nilimwona asiposoma.
Nilimwona akiwa hasomi.
The marker -sipo- is the negative of the conditional 'if' (meaning 'if not'). To express a negative simultaneous action ('saw him while he was not reading'), use akiwa with a negative verb.

How It Connects

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-ki-Level 2Simultaneous -ki-

Learn This First

To use the simultaneous -ki- marker, you must understand the basic Swahili verb structure, specifically how subject markers are attached to the verb and how the tense/aspect slot functions within the verb word.

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