العمل مستحيل اليوم.

A careful full reading in MSA is:

al-ʿamalu mustaḥīlun al-yawma

In pause, many speakers drop the final short vowels, so it often sounds more like:

al-ʿamal mustaḥīl al-yawm

A few pronunciation notes:

• ع in العمل is ʿayn, a sound English does not have.
• ḥ in مستحيل is a stronger, breathier h sound: mustaḥīl.
• اليوم is al-yawm, not alyoom in careful MSA.

Because Arabic usually does not use a present-tense verb meaning is/are in sentences like this.

So:

• العمل مستحيل اليوم
• literally: the work impossible today
• natural English: Work is impossible today

This is normal in Arabic. In the present tense, the link between the subject and the description is understood.

If you wanted the past or future, then Arabic would use a verb such as كان or سيكون.

It is a nominal sentence in Arabic, called جملة اسمية.

Its main parts are:

• العمل = the topic/subject (مبتدأ)
• مستحيل = the predicate/comment about the subject (خبر)
• اليوم = an adverb of time, meaning today (ظرف زمان)

So the structure is basically:

• subject + predicate + time expression

Because العمل is the subject, and here it is definite: the work or work in a general sense.

مستحيل is the predicate describing the subject, and predicates in this kind of sentence are often indefinite in Arabic.

So this pattern is very common:

• الجو جميل = The weather is جميل / The weather is nice
• الدرس سهل = The lesson is easy
• العمل مستحيل = The work is impossible

English does not always show this difference clearly, but Arabic often does.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Literally, العمل is the work, because it has الـ.

But Arabic often uses the definite article with abstract or general nouns where English may use no article. So in context, this sentence could be understood as:

• Work is impossible today
• or The work is impossible today

If you are speaking generally, English usually prefers work. If you are talking about a specific task or project, the work may fit better.

With full vowel endings, it is:

الْعَمَلُ مُسْتَحِيلٌ الْيَوْمَ

That is:

• العملُ = nominative, because it is the subject
• مستحيلٌ = nominative, because it is the predicate of a nominal sentence
• اليومَ = accusative, because it is an adverbial expression of time

In normal Arabic writing, these endings are usually not written, which is why you often just see:

العمل مستحيل اليوم

Yes, it can move.

The sentence as written is very natural:

• العمل مستحيل اليوم

But Arabic also allows:

• العمل اليوم مستحيل
• اليوم العمل مستحيل

These all mean roughly the same thing, but the emphasis changes slightly:

• العمل مستحيل اليوم = neutral, very natural
• العمل اليوم مستحيل = slightly highlights today
• اليوم العمل مستحيل = stronger emphasis on today

Arabic word order is often more flexible than English word order.

No. Here اليوم is not an adjective.

It is an adverbial time expression: today.

It tells you when the statement is true:

• The work is impossible — when? — today

So it modifies the whole statement, not just one noun.

Yes, absolutely.

العمل اليوم مستحيل is a correct and natural alternative.

Compare:

• العمل مستحيل اليوم
• العمل اليوم مستحيل

Both are fine. The difference is mostly one of rhythm and emphasis, not basic meaning.

Learners should get used to this flexibility in Arabic, especially with words of time and place.

مستحيل means impossible.

In this sentence, it is an adjective used as the predicate of the sentence.

So:

• العمل = work / the work
• مستحيل = impossible

Arabic often uses adjectives this way in nominal sentences:

• الكتاب مفيد = The book is useful
• البيت كبير = The house is big
• العمل مستحيل = The work is impossible

A standard negated version is:

العمل ليس مستحيلاً اليوم

This means:

The work is not impossible today
or
Work is not impossible today

Here:

• ليس = is not
• العمل stays the subject
• مستحيلاً becomes the predicate after ليس

So if you want a present-tense negative in MSA, ليس is the usual tool for this kind of sentence.