التيار الكهربائي على وشك أن يعود.

Literally, التيار الكهربائي means the electric current.

In everyday context, though, it often refers to the electricity / the power supply. So in this sentence, it means something like:

• The electricity is about to come back
• The power is about to return

So even though the literal meaning is more technical, the intended meaning in context is very natural.

Because Arabic adjectives normally match the noun they describe in definiteness.

Here:

• التيار = the current
• الكهربائي = electrical

Since the noun is definite (the current), the adjective must also be definite:

• التيار الكهربائي = the electrical current

Compare:

• تيار كهربائي = an electrical current
• التيار الكهربائي = the electrical current

This is a very common rule in Arabic adjective phrases.

In Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• التيار الكهربائي = literally the current electrical
• natural English translation: the electrical current

This is normal Arabic word order:

• بيت كبير = a big house
• البيت الكبير = the big house

So الكهربائي comes after التيار because that is how noun + adjective phrases normally work in Arabic.

على وشك is an expression meaning:

• on the verge of
• about to
• just about to

So:

• على وشك أن يعود = is about to return

This expression is very common in Modern Standard Arabic.

You can think of it as a fixed phrase:

• أنا على وشك أن أخرج = I am about to go out
• القطار على وشك أن يصل = The train is about to arrive

After على وشك, Arabic commonly uses أن + present/imperfect verb.

So:

• على وشك أن يعود

This structure means about to return.

The pattern is:

• على وشك أن + verb

Examples:

• هي على وشك أن تبكي = She is about to cry
• نحن على وشك أن نبدأ = We are about to begin

In English, we say about to return. In Arabic, that idea is often expressed with على وشك أن يعود.

Because the sentence is talking about something that has not happened yet, but is expected very soon.

• عاد = he returned / came back
• يعود = he returns / will return / come back

After على وشك أن, Arabic uses the imperfect verb because the action is still upcoming:

• على وشك أن يعود = is about to return

So the sentence does not mean the electricity already returned. It means it is expected to return very soon.

Because its subject is التيار الكهربائي, and تيار is a masculine noun.

So the verb agrees with it in gender:

• التيار الكهربائي ... يعود = masculine
• الكهرباء ... تعود = feminine

This is an important point: the verb agrees with the grammatical gender of the noun, not necessarily with how English would phrase it.

Yes, absolutely. A very common alternative is:

• الكهرباء على وشك أن تعود

This means the same thing: The electricity is about to come back.

The difference is:

• التيار الكهربائي = more formal, somewhat more technical
• الكهرباء = more everyday and very common in speech and writing

Also notice the verb changes:

• التيار الكهربائي ... يعود because تيار is masculine
• الكهرباء ... تعود because كهرباء is feminine

Yes. In the present tense, Arabic usually does not use a separate word for is / are in simple sentences like this.

So:

• التيار الكهربائي على وشك أن يعود

literally looks like:

• the electric current on the verge that it returns

But naturally it means:

• The electricity is about to return

This is a normal nominal sentence in Arabic:

• subject: التيار الكهربائي
• predicate: على وشك أن يعود

Arabic often leaves out the present-tense is where English requires it.

Originally, على means on / upon, but in على وشك the whole expression works as an idiom.

So it is better to learn:

• على وشك = about to / on the verge of

rather than translating word by word.

If you translate too literally, it may feel strange. The phrase is fixed enough that learners usually memorize it as one unit.

Other verbs are possible, but يعود is very natural.

For example:

• التيار الكهربائي على وشك أن يعود = The power is about to return
• التيار الكهربائي على وشك أن يرجع = also possible, but less standard/formal in this context

In MSA, عاد / يعود is a very common verb for returning. It fits well with things like electricity, service, calm, normal conditions, and so on.

Yes, it is natural and correct MSA.

It sounds somewhat formal or written, especially because of التيار الكهربائي. In many everyday situations, speakers might more simply say:

• الكهرباء على وشك أن تعود

But the given sentence is fully normal, especially in news, announcements, or more formal contexts.

After أن, the imperfect verb is normally in the subjunctive mood.

So grammatically, the verb here is understood as:

• يعودَ

But in normal unvocalized Arabic writing, that final vowel is not shown, so you see:

• يعود

This is very common in Arabic texts. The grammar is there even when the short vowels are not written.

So a learner should know:

• after أن, the imperfect is usually subjunctive
• in ordinary writing, you often will not see the vowel marking

You can use a literal translation to help yourself understand it, but the best English translation is not fully word-for-word.

A rough literal breakdown is:

• التيار الكهربائي = the electrical current
• على وشك = on the verge
• أن يعود = that it returns

But natural English is:

• The electricity is about to come back
• The power is about to return

So for learning, it is helpful to understand the pieces, but for translation, it is better to choose the natural English phrasing.