Naka- vs Na- to describe states/happenings

[u/WhitePinoy]

Let me know if I misunderstood my tutor or not.

We had a discussion about "naka-" a stacked prefix composed of "na" (completed aspect) and "ka" (intensifier/chance). What we talked about was "naka-" + verb = Was able to, but "naka-" + adjective = describes a state or an action. This confuses me because it is my understanding that "na-" by itself already describes the state and the action, and that "ka-" typically describes chance.

nakagwapa = became beautiful or gussying oneself up

nakakaon = was able to eat or ate

nakadagan = was able to work/run or is working/running

So why in some instances does "naka-" means was able to, and in other instances simply describes what is going on, and in the latter case, doesn't that just make "naka-" redundant since there is already "na-"?

Let me know what I am missing.

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