Die rigtingwyser werk.

Die means the.

In Afrikaans, die is the definite article for both singular and plural nouns, so it can mean the in the indicator or the indicators, depending on context.

Rigtingwyser is a compound word:

• rigting = direction
• wyser = pointer / indicator

So literally it is something like direction indicator. In normal usage, it usually refers to a turn signal, indicator, or sometimes a direction sign, depending on context.

Afrikaans often writes compound nouns as a single word, much like German and sometimes Dutch.

So instead of writing something like direction indicator as two words, Afrikaans combines them into rigtingwyser.

This is very common:

• motor deur would not normally be correct as a compound
• motordeur = car door

So rigtingwyser is completely normal Afrikaans spelling.

Here werk means works or is working.

The verb werk is the infinitive/base form, but Afrikaans does not usually add an -s for third person singular the way English does.

So:

• Ek werk = I work
• Hy werk = he works
• Die rigtingwyser werk = the indicator works

Afrikaans verbs are much simpler than English verbs in the present tense. They generally do not change according to the subject.

So you get:

• Ek werk = I work
• Jy werk = you work
• Ons werk = we work
• Die rigtingwyser werk = the indicator works

English adds -s in he works / it works, but Afrikaans keeps werk the same.

Yes, in this simple sentence it is basically the same:

• Die rigtingwyser = the subject
• werk = the verb

So the structure is:

Subject + Verb

That makes Die rigtingwyser werk very straightforward for an English speaker.

A rough English-style guide would be:

RIKH-ting-vay-ser

A few notes:

• g in Afrikaans is usually a harsh throat sound, not the English g
• wy often sounds like vay or vei, depending on accent
• r is usually trilled or tapped more than in English

The pronunciation can vary a bit by speaker and region, but that guide is close enough for a learner.

No. Werk can mean:

• to work as in to function
• to work as in to do a job
• work as a noun in some contexts

In Die rigtingwyser werk, it clearly means functions / is working, not has a job.

Yes, very likely.

In everyday context, Die rigtingwyser werk would often be understood as The turn signal is working or The indicator works, especially if people are talking about a car.

Context decides the most natural English translation.

You would usually say:

Die rigtingwyser werk nie.

Afrikaans commonly uses nie to make a sentence negative. In a simple sentence like this, you place nie after the verb.

So:

• Die rigtingwyser werk. = The indicator works.
• Die rigtingwyser werk nie. = The indicator does not work.

You can invert the word order:

Werk die rigtingwyser?

That means Does the indicator work?

This is very common in Afrikaans:

• statement: Die rigtingwyser werk.
• question: Werk die rigtingwyser?

The plural is usually rigtingwysers.

So:

• die rigtingwyser = the indicator
• die rigtingwysers = the indicators

Because die is used for both singular and plural, the noun form itself helps show the difference.

Not by itself in normal modern Afrikaans grammar. Die is mainly the.

If you want this or that, Afrikaans usually uses forms like:

• hierdie = this
• daardie = that

So:

• die rigtingwyser = the indicator
• hierdie rigtingwyser = this indicator
• daardie rigtingwyser = that indicator