الطقس فظيع.

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

So الطقس فظيع literally looks like:

• الطقس = the weather
• فظيع = awful / terrible

But the full meaning is The weather is terrible.

This is called a nominal sentence in Arabic. In the present tense, Arabic normally does not use a separate word for is / am / are.

Compare:

• الطقس فظيع. = The weather is terrible.
• كان الطقس فظيعًا. = The weather was terrible.

So you only add a verb like كان when you need a past tense meaning.

Because الطقس is the subject, the weather, and it is definite.

But فظيع here is not just an adjective attached directly to the noun. It is the predicate of the sentence: it tells you something about the weather.

So:

• الطقس فظيع = The weather is terrible
• الطقس الفظيع = the terrible weather

That is an important difference.

In other words:

• فظيع without الـ works as terrible in The weather is terrible
• الفظيع with الـ would be used when it directly describes a definite noun, as in the terrible weather

فظيع means something like:

• terrible
• awful
• horrible
• dreadful

It is a fairly strong word. With weather, it means the weather is really bad, not just a little unpleasant.

Depending on context, فظيع can also describe other things:

• حادث فظيع = a horrible accident
• منظر فظيع = a dreadful sight

So it is a strong negative adjective, and in this sentence it gives emphasis more than a milder word like سيئ.

It is pronounced roughly aṭ-ṭaqs.

A few notes:

• The الـ is the definite article the
• Because ط is a sun letter, the l sound of الـ is not pronounced here
• So الطقس sounds like aṭ-ṭaqs, not al-taqs

The word contains:

• ط = an emphatic t
• ق = a deep q sound from the back of the mouth
• س = s

A rough English-style guide is at-taqs, but the real Arabic sounds are stronger and deeper than normal English t and k/q sounds.

It is roughly fa-ẓiiʿ.

Breakdown:

• ف = f
• ظ = an emphatic z / dh-like sound
• ي = long ii
• ع = the letter ʿayn, a throat sound with no exact English equivalent

A simple learner-friendly approximation is:

• fa-ZHEE‘
• or fa-ẓeeʿ

The two hardest sounds are:

• ظ
• ع

You do not need a perfect English equivalent right away, but it helps to know that both are special Arabic consonants.

In fully vowelled formal Arabic, it is:

الطَّقْسُ فَظِيعٌ

This shows the case endings:

• الطَّقْسُ = aṭ-ṭaqsu with -u
• فَظِيعٌ = faẓīʿun with -un

Why those endings?

• الطقس is the subject of the nominal sentence, so it is in the nominative
• فظيع is the predicate, also in the nominative

In normal everyday writing, these short vowels are usually omitted, so you just see:

الطقس فظيع

Also, in actual speech, many speakers pause at the end and do not fully pronounce the final case endings.

In Arabic, adjectives usually come after the noun they describe.

So:

• طقس فظيع = terrible weather
• literally: weather terrible

However, in الطقس فظيع, فظيع is not simply an adjective inside a noun phrase. It is the predicate of the whole sentence.

Still, the order is natural in Arabic:

• الطقس = the topic / subject
• فظيع = what is being said about it

So Arabic says, in effect:

• The weather — terrible.

which in English becomes:

• The weather is terrible.

Yes. الطقس سيئ is also correct and common.

The difference is mainly one of strength and tone:

• الطقس سيئ = the weather is bad
• الطقس فظيع = the weather is terrible / awful

So سيئ is milder and more neutral, while فظيع is stronger and more dramatic.

Other possibilities include:

• الطقس رديء = the weather is poor/bad
• الطقس مزعج = the weather is annoying
• الطقس حار جدًا = the weather is very hot

Yes, it is perfectly good Modern Standard Arabic.

That said, in everyday conversation many native speakers would often use their local dialect instead of MSA. The exact wording may change from one dialect to another.

But as MSA, الطقس فظيع is clear, correct, and natural.

It is especially suitable for:

• writing
• news-style language
• classroom Arabic
• formal speech

So it is a useful sentence to learn, even if dialects may use other everyday expressions.

Yes, but الطقس فظيع is the most neutral and straightforward order.

Arabic can sometimes change word order for emphasis. For example, fronting the predicate can create a different style or emphasis, but for a basic statement, learners should stick with:

الطقس فظيع

That is the simplest and most standard pattern:

• definite noun
  • predicate

So if you are learning MSA, this sentence is an excellent model for similar statements like:

• البيت كبير. = The house is big.
• الشارع مزدحم. = The street is crowded.
• الفيلم رائع. = The film is wonderful.