تعمل المصابيح الأمامية.

This is a very common word order in Arabic: verb + subject.

So:

• تعمل المصابيح الأمامية = literally Work the front lamps
• Natural English meaning: The headlights work / The headlights are working

Arabic can also say:

• المصابيح الأمامية تعمل

That version is also correct, but it puts more emphasis on the headlights themselves. In Modern Standard Arabic, starting with the verb is very normal.

This is an important Arabic rule.

المصابيح is a non-human plural noun. In Modern Standard Arabic, non-human plurals are usually treated grammatically as feminine singular.

So even though المصابيح means lamps/headlights and is plural, the verb and adjective often behave as if the noun were:

• feminine
• singular

That is why you get:

• تعمل = it works / she works in form, but here it means they work
• الأمامية = feminine singular adjective form

This is completely normal Arabic grammar.

تعمل comes from the root ع م ل, which is connected with work / do.

In this sentence, تعمل means:

• works
• is working
• functions

So the sentence can mean:

• The headlights work
• The headlights are working
• The headlights function

The exact English translation depends on context.

Because it is describing المصابيح, and with non-human plurals, Arabic usually uses feminine singular agreement for adjectives.

So:

• المصابيح = lamps / lights
• الأمامية = front / frontal

Together:

• المصابيح الأمامية = the front lamps = the headlights

Even though the meaning is plural in English, the adjective appears in the feminine singular form in Arabic because of that same non-human plural rule.

الأمامية means front or frontal.

It comes from the idea of the front side or the front part.

So:

• مصابيح = lamps/lights
• المصابيح الأمامية = the front lights

In the context of a car, that naturally means the headlights.

Because the phrase is definite: the headlights, not just headlights.

In Arabic, when a noun is followed by an adjective, the adjective must match the noun in definiteness.

So:

• المصابيح = the lamps
• الأمامية = the front / front-related

Together:

• المصابيح الأمامية = the front lamps

If the noun is definite, the adjective is also definite.

No. It is not an idafa.

It is a noun + adjective phrase.

Why?

Because in an idafa, the second word usually does not take الـ if it is just a noun in the construct relationship. But here, الأمامية has الـ and is functioning as an adjective that agrees with المصابيح.

So this is:

• المصابيح = noun
• الأمامية = adjective describing it

Not:

• noun + possessed noun

Yes.

• تعمل المصابيح = The lamps/lights work
• تعمل المصابيح الأمامية = The headlights work

Adding الأمامية makes the meaning more specific: these are the front lights, not lights in general.

There are two things to remember:

1. Non-human plural nouns often take feminine singular agreement.
2. In verb-first sentences, Arabic often uses a singular verb even before the subject, depending on the type of subject and structure.

Here the key rule for learners is the first one: non-human plurals behave like feminine singular.

So تعمل is exactly what you should expect with المصابيح.

A careful pronunciation is roughly:

taʿmalu al-maṣābīḥu al-ʾamāmiyyatu

In normal pause pronunciation, many case endings are dropped, so you will often hear something closer to:

taʿmal al-maṣābīḥ al-ʾamāmiyya

A few helpful pronunciation notes:

• تعمل = taʿmal
• ع is a deep throat sound that English does not have
• ص in مصابيح is an emphatic s
• ح is a breathy h from the throat
• أمامية has a long aa sound in the middle

The singular is مِصباح = lamp.

So:

• مِصباح = lamp
• مَصابيح = lamps

This is a broken plural, which means the plural is formed by changing the internal pattern of the word rather than just adding an ending.

Yes:

• المصابيح الأمامية تعمل

This is correct and natural.

Because المصابيح الأمامية is still a non-human plural, the verb still appears in the feminine singular form:

• تعمل

So whether you say:

• تعمل المصابيح الأمامية or
• المصابيح الأمامية تعمل

the agreement stays the same.