Learn Arabic (Modern Standard): الشمس فوق الجبل.

فوق (fawqa) is an adverb of place. In Arabic, words that show location like "above", "under", or "behind" act a lot like the first part of a possession phrase (called an Idafa). It directly connects to the noun that follows it to show where the subject is.

Does the word فوق affect the noun that comes immediately after it?

Yes! Because فوق connects to the next word like a possession phrase, the noun following it (الجبل) is pushed into the genitive case. If you are reading with formal case endings, "the mountain" takes a short "i" vowel sound at the end, making it "al-jabali".

Why isn't there a word for "is" in the Arabic sentence?

In Arabic, you do not use a word for "is" or "are" in simple present-tense sentences. You just place the subject (الشمس) right next to its location (فوق الجبل) and the "is" is naturally understood by the listener.

Why is the "L" sound skipped when pronouncing الشمس (the sun)?

The Arabic letter ش (shin) is what we call a "sun letter". When a word starts with a sun letter, the "L" sound of the "al-" (the) prefix is silent, and you emphasize or double the first letter of the word instead. It is pronounced "ash-shams", not "al-shams".