يصطدم السائق الآخر؛ المصد يتضرر.

Because Arabic often uses verb–subject word order, especially in straightforward narrative sentences.

So:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر = The other driver crashes / collides

Literally, the order is:

• يصطدم = crashes / collides
• السائق الآخر = the other driver

Arabic could also use a subject-first structure in some contexts, but the verb-first pattern is very common in Modern Standard Arabic.

يصطدم is:

• imperfect / present tense
• 3rd person masculine singular
• from the verb اصطدم = to collide / crash

So يصطدم can mean:

• he collides
• he crashes
• depending on context, sometimes is crashing or crashes

In this sentence, the subject is السائق الآخر (the other driver), which is masculine singular, so يصطدم matches it.

السائق has الـ because it means the driver, not just a driver.

الآخر means the other, and as an adjective modifying a definite noun, it also becomes definite.

So:

• السائق = the driver
• الآخر = the other

Together:

• السائق الآخر = the other driver

This is a good example of adjective agreement in Arabic. The adjective usually matches the noun in:

• definiteness
• gender
• number
• case

Since السائق is definite, الآخر must also be definite.

Here, الآخر is functioning as an adjective describing السائق.

So:

• السائق الآخر = the other driver

By itself, الآخر can also act more like a noun or pronoun in other contexts, depending on the sentence. But here it clearly modifies السائق, so learners should read it as an adjective.

Because اصطدم / يصطدم is often used intransitively, meaning the action happens without a direct object.

So:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر = The other driver crashes / collides

If you want to say what he collides with, Arabic often uses the preposition بـ:

• اصطدم السائق بالسيارة = The driver collided with the car

In your sentence, the object of collision is not stated, because the focus is on what happens next: the bumper gets damaged.

المصد means the bumper of a vehicle.

It comes from the noun مصدّ, often written without full vowels in normal Arabic text. In unvocalized script, you may see it as المصد.

So:

• المصد = the bumper

Because Arabic usually does not write short vowels, learners need to know the word from context or vocabulary study.

يتضرر means gets damaged, is damaged, or suffers damage.

It comes from تضرر = to be damaged / to suffer harm.

This is different from a fully active verb like:

• يُتلف = damages / ruins something

Compare:

• يتضرر المصد = the bumper gets damaged
• يُتلف السائقُ المصدَ = the driver damages the bumper

So in your sentence, the bumper is not doing the action; it is the thing affected by the action. That is why يتضرر is a natural choice.

Yes, the second clause is actually subject-first:

• المصد = the bumper
• يتضرر = gets damaged

So this clause has the order:

• subject + verb

This is different from the first clause:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر = verb + subject

Arabic allows both patterns. The choice can depend on style, emphasis, and flow.

Here, putting المصد first can make the bumper stand out as the thing affected in the second event.

The semicolon ؛ in Arabic often connects two closely related clauses, especially when the second follows from or results from the first.

So:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر؛ المصد يتضرر = The other driver crashes; the bumper gets damaged

The semicolon suggests a close logical link: the crash leads to the damage.

If you used و:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر ويتضرر المصد = The other driver crashes and the bumper gets damaged

That is also possible, but the semicolon gives a slightly more formal written style and can highlight cause-and-effect more clearly.

Because المصد is a singular masculine noun, so the verb must agree with it.

• المصد = singular masculine
• يتضرر = 3rd person masculine singular

Arabic agreement is based on the actual grammatical form of the noun, not on how English expresses the idea.

In fully vocalized formal Arabic, you would expect something like:

• يَصْطَدِمُ السَّائِقُ الآخَرُ؛ المَصَدُّ يَتَضَرَّرُ.

Here:

• يَصْطَدِمُ ends in -u because it is indicative
• السائقُ is nominative as the subject
• الآخرُ matches السائقُ as an adjective in the nominative
• المصدُّ is nominative as the subject of the second clause
• يتضررُ is also indicative

In normal Arabic writing, these short vowel endings are usually omitted.

It is pronounced roughly as:

• al-ʾākhar

A few points:

• the خ is the throaty sound like German Bach or Scottish loch
• the آ is a long aa
• the word begins with a real hamza sound after al-

So it is not pronounced like simple al-akhar in careful MSA, but more like al-ʾā-khar.

Yes. Arabic often uses فـ to show a result:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر، فيتضرر المصد. = The other driver crashes, so the bumper gets damaged.

This version makes the result relationship more explicit.

Your original sentence with the semicolon is still correct and natural in formal written Arabic, but learners should know that فـ is another very common way to link cause and result.

It can suggest either, depending on context.

• يصطدم literally relates to colliding
• in traffic contexts, English may translate it as crashes or collides

So:

• يصطدم السائق الآخر could be understood as
  • The other driver collides
  • The other driver crashes
  • The other driver runs into something

The best English choice depends on the broader context, but the Arabic verb itself is completely natural here.