تعمل إشارات الانعطاف.

A careful pronunciation is:

taʿmal ishārāt al-inʿiṭāf

A few notes:

• تعمل = taʿmal
• إشارات = ishārāt
• الانعطاف = al-inʿiṭāf

The sound ʿ represents the Arabic letter ع, which is a consonant English does not have. If you are a beginner, it is fine at first to approximate it gently rather than perfectly.

In fully vowelled formal Arabic, it would be:

تَعْمَلُ إِشَارَاتُ الِانْعِطَافِ

But in normal reading and speech, those short ending vowels are often not pronounced clearly.

Here تعمل means work, function, or operate.

So in this sentence, it means that the turn signals are functioning properly.

This verb often has meanings like:

• to work
• to do
• to function
• to operate

In this sentence, the most natural sense is to work / to be working.

This is a very common Arabic question.

إشارات is a non-human plural noun. In Modern Standard Arabic, non-human plurals are very often treated grammatically like feminine singular.

So even though إشارات means signals and is plural in meaning, the verb appears in the feminine singular form:

• تعمل = she works / it works / they (non-human plural) work

That is why تعمل إشارات الانعطاف is correct.

Arabic very often uses verb + subject word order.

So:

• تعمل إشارات الانعطاف = literally work the turn signals = natural English: The turn signals work

This word order is completely normal in MSA.

You could also place the subject first for emphasis:

• إشارات الانعطاف تعمل

That is also understandable and correct in many contexts, but تعمل إشارات الانعطاف is a very standard structure.

إشارات is the plural of إشارة.

• إشارة = a sign, signal, indication
• إشارات = signs, signals, indications

In this sentence, it means signals, specifically turn signals.

This is a sound feminine plural, formed with -ات.

الانعطاف means turning or a turn.

So:

• إشارات الانعطاف = turn signals
• literally: signals of turning

It comes from the verb انعطف, which is related to bending or turning.

Because إشارات الانعطاف is an iḍāfa construction, often called a genitive construction or noun-noun possessive structure.

It literally means:

• إشارات = signals
• الانعطاف = the turning

Together:

• إشارات الانعطاف = the signals of turning = the turn signals

In an iḍāfa:

• the first noun usually does not take ال
• the second noun can have ال
• the whole phrase can still be definite

So even though إشارات has no ال, the entire phrase إشارات الانعطاف is definite and means the turn signals.

Yes, essentially.

Depending on context, إشارات الانعطاف can be translated as:

• turn signals
• turn indicators
• indicators

In American English, turn signals is very natural. In British English, indicators is also very natural.

In fully inflected MSA, the sentence would be:

تَعْمَلُ إِشَارَاتُ الِانْعِطَافِ

The endings are:

• تعملُ → -u because the verb is in the indicative
• إشاراتُ → -u because it is the subject, so it is nominative
• الانعطافِ → -i because it is the second term of an iḍāfa, so it is genitive

In everyday reading, learners often see the sentence without these case endings written.

Usually, تعمل means work / function / operate.

So the most direct meaning is:

• The turn signals work
• The turn signals are functioning

In some contexts, English might also say The turn signals are operating, which can sound close to are on/blinking, but the core meaning is still functioning, not necessarily currently flashing.

If you specifically wanted to say they are blinking right now, Arabic might use a more specific verb depending on context.

The singular would be:

تعمل إشارة الانعطاف

This means:

• The turn signal works

Here:

• إشارة = signal
• إشارة الانعطاف = turn signal

The verb is still تعمل because إشارة is a singular feminine noun.

تعمل comes from the root ع م ل.

This root is connected with ideas like:

• work
• action
• doing

Some related words are:

• عمل = work, deed
• عامل = worker
• عملية = operation, process

So تعمل is from a very common and useful root in Arabic.