Le bruit de la rue me dérange.

The noise from the street bothers me.

Breakdown of Le bruit de la rue me dérange.

• me: me
• le bruit: the noise
• déranger: to bother
• la rue: the street

Questions & Answers about Le bruit de la rue me dérange.

Why is it le bruit and not just bruit?

In French, nouns usually need an article much more often than in English. So where English can say street noise or noise bothers me, French normally uses an article: le bruit.

Here, le bruit means the noise or more generally the noise made by.... It sounds natural in French.

What does de la rue mean here?

De la rue literally means of the street, but in natural English it usually corresponds to from the street or street... in a broader sense.

So Le bruit de la rue is:

• the noise from the street
• the street noise

The structure is very common in French:

• le bruit de la pluie = the sound/noise of the rain
• l’odeur du café = the smell of coffee
• la lumière du soleil = the light of the sun

Why is it de la rue and not du rue?