الخوف شديد.

It is pronounced al-khawfu shadīd(un) in full Classical/MSA pronunciation.

In everyday reading/writing, case endings are usually not written or pronounced fully, so you will often hear something closer to:

al-khawf shadīd

A rough English guide:

• الخوف = al-khawf
  
  • kh is like the ch in German Bach or Scottish loch
  • aw sounds like the vowel in cow
• شديد = shadīd
  • sh as in ship
  • ī is a long ee sound

Because Arabic often leaves out the verb to be in the present tense.

So الخوف شديد literally looks like:

• the fear
• severe / intense

But it means:

• The fear is intense
• Fear is intense

This is called a nominal sentence in Arabic. In the present tense, Arabic usually does not need an explicit is / are / am.

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

• كان الخوف شديدًا = The fear was intense

This is a very common Arabic pattern:

• الخوف = the subject
• شديد = the predicate/adjective describing the subject

In traditional Arabic grammar:

• الخوف is the مبتدأ (the topic/subject)
• شديد is the خبر (the predicate)

So the structure is:

[subject] + [description]

That is why the sentence means Fear is intense or The fear is severe.

Because they are doing different jobs in the sentence.

• الخوف is the subject, and here it is definite: the fear
• شديد is the predicate, and predicates in sentences like this are often indefinite

So:

• الخوف = the fear
• شديد = intense / severe

This is normal in Arabic nominal sentences. A definite subject followed by an indefinite predicate often gives the meaning X is Y.

If both words were definite, the meaning or structure would likely be different.

Because الخوف is a masculine noun, and the describing word agrees with it.

• الخوف is grammatically masculine
• so the predicate/adjective is شديد

If the noun were feminine, you would usually use the feminine form:

• شديدة

For example:

• المشكلة شديدة = The problem is severe

So even though fear is an abstract idea in English, in Arabic it still has grammatical gender, and here that gender is masculine.

With full case endings, the sentence is:

الخوفُ شديدٌ

Why?

• الخوفُ ends in -u because it is the subject of the nominal sentence
• شديدٌ ends in -un because it is the predicate and is indefinite

In normal Arabic writing, these short vowels are usually omitted, so you will normally see:

الخوف شديد

But learners should know that the fully vocalized form is:

الخوفُ شديدٌ

It is adjective-like in meaning, but in this sentence it functions as the predicate.

So semantically, it means severe / intense, which feels like an adjective in English.

Grammatically in Arabic, it is the خبر of the sentence, not an adjective attached directly to a noun inside a noun phrase.

Compare:

• الخوف شديد = The fear is intense
  Here شديد is the predicate.

• خوف شديد = intense fear
  Here شديد is a regular adjective directly modifying خوف.

That is an important difference.

The difference is grammatical and also slightly different in meaning.

الخوف شديد

• a full sentence
• means The fear is intense or Fear is intense

خوف شديد

• not a full sentence by itself
• means intense fear or severe fear
• this is just a noun phrase

So:

• الخوف شديد = statement
• خوف شديد = expression/name of a thing

Yes, but الخوف شديد is the most straightforward neutral order.

This order is:

• subject first
• predicate second

You may sometimes see different word orders in Arabic for emphasis or style, but for a learner, الخوف شديد is the normal and safest pattern to use.

So if your goal is simply to say Fear is intense, this sentence is excellent.

It can depend on context.

Because الخوف has ال, it literally looks like the fear. But in Arabic, a definite noun can sometimes express a general idea too.

So depending on context, this could mean:

• The fear is intense — referring to a particular fear already known in context
• Fear is intense — speaking more generally

Context tells you which meaning is intended.

Because خ is a moon letter, not a sun letter.

In Arabic, ال is pronounced differently depending on the next letter:

• With moon letters, the l sound is pronounced
• With sun letters, the l sound assimilates

Since خ is a moon letter, you pronounce:

• الخوف = al-khawf

not something like akh-khawf.

شديد often means:

• severe
• intense
• strong
• serious

In this sentence, the most natural English choices are:

• intense
• severe

So الخوف شديد can be understood as:

• The fear is intense
• The fear is severe
• Fear is very strong

The best translation depends on the context.