Stative as Can Be

The Swahili stative extension has two distinct readings depending on the tense used. While the perfect tense usually triggers a resultative reading (a state resulting from an action, like "broken"), using the present tense triggers the potential reading. While the present tense is the most common trigger, this potential reading can also occur with the past tense, future tense, or habitual tense depending on context. Furthermore, the present negative is frequently used to express that something is "un-[verb]-able" or impossible to do (e.g., hakisomeki = it is unreadable).

This reading indicates that the subject is capable of, or suitable for, undergoing the action. It translates well to English adjectives ending in "-able" or "-ible".

Vowel Harmony Rules:
For standard Bantu verbs, you must first drop the final -a before adding the extension. The form of the extension depends on the verb root's vowels:

• -ik-: Used if the preceding vowel is a, i, or u (e.g., vunja → vunjika / breakable).
• -ek-: Used if the preceding vowel is e or o (e.g., soma → someka / readable).
• -lik- / -lek-: Used for non-derived verbs ending in double vowels (e.g., chukua → chukulika / carriable). However, reversive verbs ending in -ua or -oa simply take -ka (e.g., fungua → funguka / openable).
• Monosyllabic Verbs: Because roots like -l- (eat) and -nyw- (drink) consist only of consonants and lack a root vowel to trigger vowel harmony, their stative forms are irregular and must simply be memorized (e.g., -la → -lika → kinalika / it is edible; -nyweka → kinanyweka / it is drinkable; -fanya → -fanyika → kinafanyika / it can be done, in a suitable context). Because the resulting stem is no longer monosyllabic, they drop the infinitive ku- prefix in their conjugated forms.
• Arabic Loanwords: Verbs ending in -i or -u drop the final vowel and take -ika (e.g., jibu → jibika / answerable). Verbs ending in -e take -ka (e.g., samehe → sameheka / forgivable). Verbs ending in -au take -lika (e.g., sahau → sahaulika / forgettable).

The -kana Suffix:
Several of the most common verbs in Swahili use a lexicalized -kana suffix (a combination of the stative and reciprocal extensions) to express the potential reading. Examples include kuona → kuonekana (to be visible/seen), kuweza → kuwezekana (to be possible), kupata → kupatikana (to be available/obtainable), and kujua → kujulikana (to be knowable/known).

Crucial Distinction:
Learners frequently confuse this with the passive voice. The passive (kinavunjwa = it is being broken) implies an agent is performing the action. The stative potential (kinavunjika = it is breakable) focuses purely on the potential of the subject, treating the event as occurring spontaneously without any implied agent. Furthermore, because the stative extension makes a transitive verb intransitive, stative verbs cannot take an object marker.

For the longer -lik-/-lek- forms, the relevant preceding root vowel guides the same i/e contrast: i is the default after a/i/u, while e follows e/o where that productive pattern applies. Some established verbs have lexical forms that must be learned separately. Fanya is “do/make”; -ja means “come,” so kinajika is not a word for “it is doable.”