Der er ikke så meget støj i baggården som på gaden foran huset.

Yes, der er is the standard Danish way to say there is / there are.

In this sentence, der is not really about location. It is an introductory subject, like English there in There is not much noise...

So:

• der er = there is / there are
• Der er ikke så meget støj... = There is not as much noise...

This is extremely common in Danish.

This is the Danish pattern for not as much ... as:

• ikke så meget ... som = not as much ... as

So the structure is:

• ikke = not
• så meget = so much / as much
• som = as

In this sentence:

• Der er ikke så meget støj i baggården som på gaden foran huset.
• literally: There is not so much noise in the backyard as on the street in front of the house.

In natural English, we usually say not as much noise ... as ...

Yes. A very natural alternative is:

• Der er mindre støj i baggården end på gaden foran huset.

That means:

• There is less noise in the backyard than on the street in front of the house.

So both are possible:

• ikke så meget støj ... som = not as much noise ... as
• mindre støj ... end = less noise ... than

Both are correct; they just use different comparison patterns.

Because støj means noise, and it is an uncountable noun.

In Danish:

• meget is used with uncountable nouns
• mange is used with countable plural nouns

So:

• meget støj = much noise
• mange biler = many cars

Since noise is not something you normally count one by one, Danish uses meget.

Because støj is being used in a general, uncountable sense.

Just like in English you usually say:

• There is a lot of noise not
• There is a noise (unless you mean one specific sound)

Danish works similarly here:

• meget støj = a lot of noise / much noise

No article is needed.

This is about the prepositions that Danish normally uses with different places.

• i baggården = in the backyard / in the back courtyard
• på gaden = on the street

This is very similar to English:

• you are in a courtyard
• you are on a street

So the choice of i and på is mostly idiomatic and follows the normal way those locations are expressed.

Because they are in the definite form:

• baggård = backyard / back courtyard

• baggården = the backyard / the back courtyard

• gade = street

• gaden = the street

• hus = house
• huset = the house

In Danish, the definite article is usually attached to the end of the noun:

• -en or -et = the

So instead of a separate word like English the, Danish often adds it as a suffix.

Because foran already means in front of.

So:

• foran huset = in front of the house

No extra preposition is needed after foran.

A few similar examples:

• bag huset = behind the house
• ved huset = by the house
• foran bilen = in front of the car

So foran directly introduces the thing something is in front of.

It describes gaden:

• på gaden foran huset = on the street in front of the house

So the idea is not just any street, but specifically the street that is in front of the house.

You can think of the last part as one unit:

• på gaden foran huset

That whole phrase is being compared with i baggården.

Yes, this is normal Danish word order.

In a main clause, Danish usually places the finite verb in the second position. Here the finite verb is er.

So the order is:

• Der
  • er
    • ikke
      • rest of sentence

This is standard:

• Der er ikke tid. = There is not time.
• Han kommer ikke i dag. = He is not coming today.

So ikke often comes after the finite verb in ordinary main clauses.

Støj can be tricky for English speakers because of the vowel sound.

A rough guide:

• st- sounds like English st
• øj is a rounded vowel sound that English does not really have

A very rough approximation is something like stoy, but that is not exact.

The important thing is that ø is not the same as English o. It is a front rounded vowel. If you know German or French, it may feel a bit closer to sounds like ö or eu in some contexts.

So:

• rough learner approximation: stoy
• real Danish pronunciation: more rounded and more fronted than English toy

Not always. Som has several common uses in Danish.

Here it means as in a comparison:

• ikke så meget ... som = not as much ... as

But som can also mean things like:

• who / that / which
• as in the sense of in the role of

Examples:

• manden som bor der = the man who lives there
• hun arbejder som lærer = she works as a teacher

So the meaning of som depends on the structure.

Often yes, but not always perfectly.

Baggård usually refers to a rear courtyard, especially in an urban setting, such as the space behind a building or between buildings. In some contexts, backyard is a fine translation, but back courtyard may be more precise.

So in this sentence:

• i baggården could be understood as in the backyard
• but depending on the setting, in the back courtyard may be closer

It breaks down like this:

• Der er = there is
• ikke så meget støj = not as much noise
• i baggården = in the backyard / back courtyard
• som = as
• på gaden foran huset = on the street in front of the house

So the full structure is:

• There is not as much noise in the backyard as on the street in front of the house.

It is a comparison between two places:

1. i baggården
2. på gaden foran huset