Learn Hardcore Spanish (Latin America): Mi hermano no soporta el ruido en la sala. - My brother can’t stand the noise in the living room.

soportar = to put up with / to tolerate / to stand
- Mi hermano no soporta el ruido.
  = My brother can’t stand the noise.
to support (help, back up) is usually:
- apoyar (support a person, an idea)
- mantener (support financially)
- sostener (physically support, also sometimes “maintain” an opinion)

So in this sentence, no soporta means “(he) can’t stand / doesn’t tolerate”, not “doesn’t support.”

Why is it no soporta and not soporta no?

In Spanish, the basic order for a simple negative sentence is:

no + verb + (rest of the sentence)

So:

Mi hermano soporta el ruido.
= My brother tolerates the noise.
Mi hermano no soporta el ruido.
= My brother doesn’t tolerate the noise / can’t stand the noise.

Placing no after the verb (soporta no) is incorrect in this structure.
(You can have more complex sentences with no later, but the basic negation goes before the verb.)

Is no soporta more like “doesn’t tolerate” or “can’t stand”?

In everyday speech, no soporta is closer to:

“can’t stand”
“really can’t tolerate”

It usually expresses a strong dislike, not just a neutral “doesn’t allow.” Some near equivalents:

no aguanta el ruido – very similar, maybe a bit more colloquial
no tolera el ruido – a bit more formal, closer to “does not tolerate”
detesta / odia el ruido – “detests / hates the noise,” even stronger

So:
Mi hermano no soporta el ruido en la sala. ≈ My brother can’t stand the noise in the living room.

Why is it el ruido and not just ruido without an article?

Spanish uses articles more than English, especially with general or abstract nouns.

el ruido here means “noise in general” (or the noise that is present), not one specific noise.
English often drops the article: My brother can’t stand noise or the noise.

Without an article (soporta ruido) would sound strange in this sentence, almost like “he supports noise.”
So you normally say:

No soporta el ruido. – He can’t stand noise / the noise.

Why is it en la sala and not en el cuarto or something else?

la sala in Latin American Spanish usually refers to:

the living room / lounge in a house or apartment.

Other options and their usual meanings:

el cuarto – “room,” often specifically “bedroom” in many countries.
la habitación – room (often used in hotels or more formal speech).
la sala de estar – “living room,” more explicit but longer.
el salón – in Spain often means “living room”; in Latin America it’s often used for big halls (like event halls, classrooms, hair salons).

So en la sala in Latin America is very naturally interpreted as “in the living room.”

Does no soporta mean he never tolerates noise, or just that right now he doesn’t?

The Spanish simple present (no soporta) usually expresses:

general facts, habits, or tendencies.

So:

Mi hermano no soporta el ruido en la sala.
means “As a rule, my brother can’t stand noise in the living room.”

If you wanted to highlight just a current situation, you could use:

Mi hermano no está soportando el ruido ahora. – My brother is not putting up with the noise right now. (grammatically correct but less common)
More natural: Mi hermano no aguanta el ruido ahora.

But in most everyday contexts, the original sentence is understood as a general tendency or strong preference, not just this one moment.

Could I say Mi hermano no puede soportar el ruido instead?

Yes, but there’s a nuance:

no soporta el ruido – neutral, common; he doesn’t stand / can’t stand noise.
no puede soportar el ruido – “he can’t possibly stand the noise”, suggests some limitation or impossibility (it’s too much for him, he’s unable to bear it).

Both are correct, but no soporta el ruido is shorter and more typical for describing a general dislike.

What’s the difference between ruido and sonido?

ruido = noise
Usually something unpleasant, disturbing, or just sound “in general” without saying it’s nice.
sonido = sound
More neutral; can be pleasant or just descriptive.

Compare:

No soporto el ruido del tráfico. – I can’t stand the noise of the traffic. (negative)
Me gusta el sonido del mar. – I like the sound of the sea. (neutral/positive)

In your sentence, ruido is the right choice because it implies annoying noise.

Can I replace el ruido with a pronoun like lo?

Yes, if el ruido is already clear from context, you can say:

Mi hermano no lo soporta en la sala.

Here lo is a direct object pronoun referring to el ruido. Without prior context, though, lo could be ambiguous (it might be understood as “him/it”), so your original sentence with el ruido is clearer if it’s the first time you mention the noise.

Why is it en la sala and not de la sala or con el ruido?

Each preposition changes the nuance:

en la sala – the location of the noise is in the living room.
- No soporta el ruido en la sala.
  = He can’t stand the noise that is in the living room.
de la sala – the noise comes from the living room (you might be somewhere else hearing it).
- No soporta el ruido de la sala.
  = He can’t stand the noise coming from the living room.
con el ruido – “with the noise,” focusing on the condition/situation of there being noise.
- No puede estudiar con ruido.
  = He can’t study with noise (around).

Your original sentence uses en to highlight where the noise is.

If my sibling is female, do I just change hermano to hermana?

Yes. The possessive mi does not change, but the noun does:

Mi hermano no soporta el ruido en la sala.
= My brother can’t stand the noise in the living room.
Mi hermana no soporta el ruido en la sala.
= My sister can’t stand the noise in the living room.

mi works for both masculine and feminine, singular nouns. (It only changes for number: mi hermano, mis hermanos.)

Is no soporta el ruido en la sala neutral, rude, or very strong?

It’s neutral and common; it just states a strong dislike:

It’s not rude by itself.
It’s similar in strength to “can’t stand the noise” in English.
If you wanted something softer, you might say:
- No le gusta el ruido en la sala. – He doesn’t like the noise in the living room.

So as written, it’s perfectly normal, everyday language.