الماضي صعب.

In Egyptian Arabic, a natural pronunciation is:

el-māḍi saʿb

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

el-MAA-di sa'b

A few notes:

• ال is usually pronounced el- in Egyptian, not al-
• ما has a long aa sound
• ض is a heavy or dark d
• ع in صعب is a throat sound that English does not have
• Many learners hear صعب almost like saʿb, though some speakers produce a very slight helping vowel, closer to saʿab

Because Arabic often leaves out is/am/are in the present tense.

So:

• الماضي صعب = The past is difficult

This is called a nominal sentence.

In the present tense, Arabic usually does not say a separate word for is.
But in other tenses, you do use a verb, for example:

• الماضي كان صعب = The past was difficult

Because الماضي is the subject, and it is definite: the past.

صعب is the predicate adjective: difficult / hard. In Arabic, in a sentence like this, the predicate is normally indefinite, so it does not take الـ.

So the pattern is:

• الماضي = the past
• صعب = difficult

If you said الماضي الصعب, that would usually mean the difficult past, which is a different structure: noun + adjective, not a full sentence.

Yes. Here صعب is functioning as a predicate adjective.

It agrees with الماضي in:

• gender
• number

Since الماضي is masculine singular, صعب is also masculine singular.

For comparison:

• الحياة صعبة = Life is difficult
  because الحياة is feminine, so the adjective becomes صعبة

ض is usually described as an emphatic d.

That means:

• it is similar to d
• but it sounds heavier, darker, and farther back in the mouth

For a beginner, saying a normal English d is an acceptable starting point. Over time, try to make it sound more full or dark.

So الماضي is not exactly maadi, but that approximation is common for learners at first.

ع is one of the trickiest Arabic sounds for English speakers.

It is a voiced throat sound made deep in the throat. English does not have an exact equivalent.

A few tips:

• do not replace it with a full English vowel if you can avoid it
• do not pronounce it like a silent letter
• try making a gentle constriction in the throat between sa and b

So صعب is closer to saʿb than to sab.

If you are a beginner, it is normal if this sound takes time.

The written sentence الماضي صعب works in both Egyptian Arabic and Modern Standard Arabic.

The main difference is pronunciation:

• In Standard Arabic: al-māḍī ṣaʿb
• In Egyptian Arabic: el-māḍi saʿb

So the spelling is the same, but the spoken form changes a little.

Because م is a moon letter, so the l in الـ is pronounced.

That gives:

• الماضي → el-māḍi

If the next letter were a sun letter, the l would assimilate instead.

For example:

• الشمس is pronounced more like esh-shams

But here, since the word starts with م, you keep the l sound.

Not if you want the same simple, neutral meaning.

The normal sentence is:

• الماضي صعب = The past is difficult

If you say صعب الماضي, it does not sound like the usual straightforward sentence. It may sound incomplete, poetic, or like a different structure depending on context.

For everyday use, stick with:

• الماضي صعب

Not in Egyptian Arabic.

In formal Standard Arabic with full case endings, you could theoretically see something like:

• الماضيُ صعبٌ

But in normal writing, those endings are usually omitted, and in Egyptian speech they are not used.

So for Egyptian Arabic, just say:

• الماضي صعب

with no added case endings.