الشمس قوية جداً

Use it as a standalone observation or a reason for an action. If someone asks why you are wearing sunglasses indoors, say this. If you are squinting while walking to the store, say it to your friend. You do not need complex grammar here. Just drop it into conversation when the heat hits your face. It works perfectly as a conversation starter with strangers too. Everyone agrees when the sun is too much.

You will use this most between 11 AM and 4 PM. Use it when you are at the beach and need more sunscreen. Use it when you are choosing which side of the street to walk on. It is great for explaining why you are late because you waited for a bus in the shade. It is also a polite way to suggest moving a meeting from an outdoor cafe to an indoor one with air conditioning.

Do not use this if it is just a 'nice' sunny day. If the weather is pleasant, use al-gaw helw (the weather is sweet). Using qawiya awi implies a bit of a struggle. Also, do not use it at night, obviously. If you use it in a very formal scientific paper, it might feel too casual. Stick to shadida instead of qawiya for academic writing. But for 99% of life, this is the winner.

In countries like Egypt, the sun is a constant companion. It is respected and sometimes feared. People plan their entire day around the 'strength' of the sun. There is a whole culture of 'shadow-walking' where people cross streets just to stay in the shade. Saying al-shams qawiya awi is a shared cultural bond. It is a way of saying, 'We are both enduring this heat together.' It is more than weather; it is a shared experience of the environment.

In different dialects, the 'very' changes. In the Levant (Lebanon/Syria), you might hear al-shams ktir qawiye. In the Gulf, they might say al-shams wayed qawiya. If you want to be more dramatic, you can say al-shams betehra’ which means 'the sun is burning.' But if you want to stay safe and understood by everyone, the Egyptian awi version is iconic and widely recognized thanks to movies and music.