kuwa
verb
to be; to become.
English gives one small verb a lot of work. Swahili shares that work across several forms. Ni, with negative si, handles many present identities and descriptions. Kuwa carries tense and mood, while agreeing locative forms such as iko say that someone or something is in a place.
Kuwa has the short stem -wa. In forms such as alikuwa, -ku- stays in place; in other tense and mood environments it drops away.
Kuwa na means “to have,” literally “to be with.” That meaning belongs to the whole construction, not bare kuwa.
Forms
- -wa
- one-syllable verb stem · be or become
- alikuwa
- past · was or were
- kuwa na
- construction · to have · literally, to be with
Origins
Kuwa may look like one whole word, but it opens neatly into ku-, the infinitive marker, and -wa, “to be” or “to become.” Most learners meet kuwa first, so the tiny stem at its heart can be easy to miss.
Sources3
Lutz Marten, A lexical treatment for stem markers in Swahili (Leipzig: Swahili Forum, 2002), 88–92.
Documents -wa as a short verb stem, the -ku- / zero alternation, and alikuwa.
Manfred Krifka, Swahili (Berlin and New York: Walter de Gruyter, 1995), 1398–1399, sections 3.4–3.5.
Explains the division of labor among ni/si, kuwa, locative copulas, and kuwa na.
Charles Sacleux, Grammaire des dialectes Swahilis (1909), 255.
Records kuwa as “be” or “become” and kuwa na as “be with” or “have.”
Examples
Alikuwa mwalimu.
They were a teacher.
Anaweza kuwa hapa kesho.
They may be here tomorrow.
Tunataka kuwa marafiki.
We want to be friends.
Ni vizuri kuwa pamoja.
It is good to be together.
Kuwa makini barabarani.
Be careful on the road.
Ndoto yake ni kuwa daktari.
Their dream is to become a doctor.
Hali inaweza kuwa bora.
The situation can become better.
Tafadhali kuwa na subira.
Please be patient.
Watoto wanataka kuwa nje.
The children want to be outside.
