هذا الفيل كبير.

In Modern Standard Arabic, the verb to be is usually not expressed in the present tense.

So:

• هذا الفيل كبير = This elephant is big

There is no separate word for is. This kind of sentence is called a nominal sentence.

If you wanted the past tense, Arabic would use a verb:

• كان الفيل كبيرًا = The elephant was big

So in the present tense, leaving out is is completely normal.

Because الفيل (the elephant) is masculine in Arabic.

The demonstrative this must agree with the noun in gender:

• هذا = this for masculine nouns
• هذه = this for feminine nouns

So:

• هذا الفيل = this elephant (masculine)
• هذه البقرة = this cow (feminine)

Since فيل is masculine, هذا is the correct choice.

In Arabic, when a demonstrative like هذا comes before a noun, the noun is usually definite, so it normally takes الـ.

That is why you get:

• هذا الفيل = this elephant

Literally, Arabic often looks like this the-elephant.

Compare:

• هذا الفيل كبير = This elephant is big
• هذا فيل كبير = This is a big elephant

These are different structures:

1. هذا الفيل كبير

   • هذا الفيل = the subject, this elephant
   • كبير = the predicate, big

2. هذا فيل كبير

   • هذا = this is
   • فيل كبير = a big elephant

So adding الـ changes the structure and meaning.

Because Arabic word order works differently from English.

In this sentence:

• هذا الفيل = this elephant
• كبير = big

So the sentence is structured as:

• subject + predicate
• this elephant + big

Arabic often places the descriptive predicate after the subject, where English would say is big.

Also, adjectives normally come after the noun in Arabic, not before it.

Because here كبير is not an adjective inside a noun phrase like the big elephant. It is the predicate of the sentence: big.

So:

• هذا الفيل كبير = This elephant is big

But if you wanted to say:

• the big elephant you would say:
• الفيل الكبير

And:

• this big elephant would be:
• هذا الفيل الكبير

So the difference is:

• الفيل الكبير = the big elephant → adjective inside the noun phrase, so it is definite
• الفيل كبير = the elephant is big → predicate adjective, so it is indefinite

Yes. In Arabic, adjectives usually agree with the noun in:

• gender
• number
• definiteness (when they are attributive adjectives)

Here, كبير is masculine singular, matching الفيل, which is masculine singular.

If the noun were feminine, you would normally use:

• كبيرة

For example:

• هذه البقرة كبيرة = This cow is big

In your sentence, masculine singular كبير is correct because فيل is masculine singular.

It is a full sentence.

Specifically, it is a nominal sentence in Arabic. It has:

• هذا الفيل = the subject
• كبير = the predicate

So it means a complete thought: This elephant is big.

A phrase like the big elephant would be:

• الفيل الكبير

That is not a full sentence by itself. It is just a noun phrase.

So:

• هذا الفيل كبير = full sentence
• الفيل الكبير = phrase

Here is the breakdown:

• هذا = this
• الفيل = the elephant
• كبير = big

Grammatically:

• هذا الفيل = the subject, this elephant
• كبير = the predicate, big

So the sentence literally works like:

• This elephant — big

which in natural English becomes:

• This elephant is big

A common pronunciation is:

• hādhā al-fīl kabīr

A few helpful notes:

• هذا = hādhā
  • the dh sound is like the th in this
• الفيل = al-fīl
  • fīl rhymes roughly with feel
• كبير = kabīr
  • the ī is a long vowel, like ee

So a rough English-friendly guide would be:

• HAA-thaa al-FEEL ka-BEER

Though the best approximation for ذ is the voiced th in this, not a plain z or d.

A fully vowelled version is:

• هٰذَا الْفِيلُ كَبِيرٌ

You may also see it written without the small dagger alif sign over the ه in هذا, but the pronunciation is still hādhā.

The endings show case:

• الْفِيلُ ends in -u
• كَبِيرٌ ends in -un

In normal everyday writing, these short vowel endings are usually omitted:

• هذا الفيل كبير

And in pausal pronunciation, speakers often do not pronounce the final case endings clearly anyway.

That is just the normal Arabic pattern.

In English, adjectives usually come before the noun:

• big elephant

In Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun:

• فيل كبير = big elephant
• literally: elephant big

The same pattern appears whether the adjective is part of a phrase or acting as the predicate of a sentence.

So Arabic learners need to get used to:

• noun first
• adjective after

Not normally.

هذا الفيل كبير most naturally means:

• This elephant is big

If you want This is the big elephant, Arabic would more naturally use a different structure, such as:

• هذا هو الفيل الكبير

That extra هو helps make the meaning clearer: This is the big elephant.

So your sentence is best understood as a statement describing the elephant.

You would change both the demonstrative and the adjective to match a feminine noun.

For example, with البقرة (the cow):

• هذه البقرة كبيرة
• This cow is big

Compare:

• هذا الفيل كبير = masculine
• هذه البقرة كبيرة = feminine

So Arabic agreement affects multiple words in the sentence.