Центральное отопление работает.

Russian usually omits to be in the present tense.

So:

• Центральное отопление работает. = The central heating is working / works.

There is no separate present-tense word for is here. This is completely normal in Russian.

Russian has no articles, so there is no direct equivalent of the or a/an.

That means Центральное отопление can mean:

• the central heating
• central heating

The exact meaning depends on context.

They are in the nominative case because they form the subject of the sentence.

• отопление = the noun
• центральное = the adjective describing it

Both are:

• nominative
• singular
• neuter

So they match each other grammatically.

Because it agrees with отопление, which is a neuter singular noun.

The adjective центральный changes its ending depending on gender:

• masculine: центральный
• feminine: центральная
• neuter: центральное

Since отопление is neuter, Russian uses центральное.

A good clue is the ending -ие / -е. Nouns ending in -о, -е, or many in -ие are often neuter.

So отопление is a neuter singular noun.

That is why both the adjective and the verb agree with it the way they do.

Because the subject is singular:

• Центральное отопление = one system, grammatically singular

So the verb must also be singular:

• работает = works / is working

If the subject were plural, the verb would be plural too.

Работает is:

• 3rd person singular
• present tense
• from the verb работать = to work

So literally it means:

• it works
• it is working

Here, it refers to central heating.

It can mean either, depending on context.

Russian present tense often covers both:

• works (general fact)
• is working (right now)

So Центральное отопление работает could mean:

• The central heating works.
• The central heating is working.

In everyday context, it often means the system is functioning now.

Yes, and Russian commonly uses работать for machines, systems, and appliances that function or operate.

So отопление работает means:

• the heating is functioning
• the heating is operating

This is very natural Russian.

Not exactly.

Центральное отопление работает usually means the heating system is functioning/operating.

If you specifically want to say it is switched on, Russian might also use:

• Отопление включено. = The heating is on.

So:

• работает = working, functioning
• включено = turned on

Sometimes they overlap in real-life meaning, but they are not identical.

Yes. That is completely natural.

Adding центральное makes it more specific:

• Отопление работает. = The heating is working.
• Центральное отопление работает. = The central heating is working.

If the context already makes it clear what kind of heating you mean, Russians will often leave the adjective out.

Yes. Russian word order is more flexible than English.

The neutral order here is:

• Центральное отопление работает.

But you could also hear:

• Работает центральное отопление.

That might sound more like:

• The central heating is working
• or give emphasis to works/is working

The basic meaning stays the same, but the focus can shift.

A helpful version with stress marks is:

• Центра́льное отопле́ние рабо́тает.

Approximate pronunciation:

• tsin-TRAL-nuh-ye a-ta-PLYE-ni-ye ra-BO-ta-yet

A few notes:

• ц sounds like ts
• льн in центральное can feel tricky; say it slowly at first
• е after a soft consonant often sounds like ye

It is a noun phrase: adjective + noun.

• центральное = central
• отопление = heating

Together they form one unit meaning central heating.

Russian often builds phrases like this exactly the way English does:

• горячая вода = hot water
• холодный воздух = cold air
• центральное отопление = central heating

Yes.

Depending on context, it can mean:

• The central heating works.
  = It functions in general.
• The central heating is working.
  = It is functioning right now.

Russian does not force you to choose between those two the way English often does. Context tells you which one is meant.