No sé de dónde sale ese ruido.

Because de dónde means from where, and that is the idea in this sentence: you do not know where the noise is coming from.

• dónde = where
• de dónde = from where

So:

• No sé dónde está. = I don’t know where it is.
• No sé de dónde sale ese ruido. = I don’t know where that noise is coming from.

In English, from is often optional, but in Spanish it is usually expressed clearly with de in this kind of sentence.

Yes, salir often means to go out, to leave, or to come out. But it can also be used for sounds, smells, light, water, etc. to mean to come out of a place or to be coming from somewhere.

So in this sentence, sale ese ruido is basically saying:

• that noise comes out from / is coming from somewhere

This is a very natural use in Spanish. English often uses come from, while Spanish may use salir de.

Examples:

• Sale humo de la cocina. = Smoke is coming from the kitchen.
• Sale agua de esa tubería. = Water is coming out of that pipe.
• No sé de dónde sale ese ruido. = I don’t know where that noise is coming from.

Because the subject is ese ruido, which is singular.

• ese ruido = that noise
• singular subject → sale

If the subject were plural, then you would use salen:

• No sé de dónde salen esos ruidos. = I don’t know where those noises are coming from.

Because Spanish does not need a separate subject pronoun like it here. The noun itself, ese ruido, is the subject.

In English, you might think in terms of that noise is coming from..., but Spanish simply says:

• sale ese ruido = that noise comes out / is coming from

Spanish often avoids adding pronouns unless needed for emphasis or clarity.

Yes, absolutely. Viene from venir is also very common and natural.

• No sé de dónde viene ese ruido.
• No sé de dónde sale ese ruido.

Both are correct. The difference is small:

• viene focuses more on coming from
• sale focuses more on coming out from

In many everyday situations, they can sound almost interchangeable.

Ese means that, while este means this.

Very broadly:

• este = this, near the speaker
• ese = that, not especially near the speaker, or already identified
• aquel = that over there, farther away

With something like a noise, the distinction is not always about physical distance. Ese ruido often means that noise in the sense of the noise we’re noticing / the noise you’re talking about.

You could hear este ruido too, depending on context, but ese ruido is perfectly natural.

Because in Spanish, after a question word or question-like structure, it is very common to put the verb before the subject.

So this is natural:

• de dónde sale ese ruido

This sounds much more normal than:

• de dónde ese ruido sale

Spanish often uses verb-subject order in direct and indirect questions:

• ¿Dónde está Juan?
• No sé dónde está Juan.

The same pattern appears here:

• No sé de dónde sale ese ruido.

It is not a direct question, but it contains an indirect question.

Direct question:

• ¿De dónde sale ese ruido? = Where is that noise coming from?

Indirect question:

• No sé de dónde sale ese ruido. = I don’t know where that noise is coming from.

In both direct and indirect questions, Spanish uses the accented interrogative form:

• qué
• quién
• cuándo
• dónde
• cómo

So dónde keeps the accent because it introduces an indirect question.

Because sé with an accent means I know, from the verb saber.

• sé = I know
• se = a pronoun, with other uses

So:

• No sé = I don’t know
• No se... would mean something different and would usually be part of another structure, such as No se sabe.

The accent helps distinguish two different words.

Ruido usually means noise, especially an unwanted, annoying, or noticeable sound.

Examples:

• Hay mucho ruido. = There’s a lot of noise.
• Ese ruido me molesta. = That noise bothers me.

It is different from sonido, which is more neutral and means sound.

• ruido = noise
• sonido = sound

So ese ruido suggests a sound that is being noticed as a disturbance or mystery, not just any sound.

The natural version is No sé de dónde sale ese ruido.

In Spanish, with structures like this, the verb normally comes before the subject. Putting ese ruido before the verb here would sound unusual or forced.

So learners should treat de dónde sale ese ruido as the normal pattern.

Yes, it sounds natural in Spain. A speaker in Spain might say this in everyday conversation if they hear a strange sound and cannot identify its source.

Other natural alternatives in Spain include:

• No sé de dónde viene ese ruido.
• No sé de dónde sale ese sonido.
• No sé de dónde viene ese sonido.

But ruido is especially natural if the sound is unwanted, strange, or irritating.

You could understand it that way as a grammar aid, but it is not the best natural English translation.

A more natural English rendering is:

• I don’t know where that noise is coming from.

Literal translations can help you see the Spanish structure:

• de dónde = from where
• sale = comes out

But for real English, where that noise is coming from is much more natural.

Sale is the present indicative of salir.

• yo salgo
• tú sales
• él/ella sale

Spanish often uses the present tense where English may use either the simple present or the present continuous, depending on context.

So sale here can correspond to:

• comes from
• is coming from

The exact English choice depends on the situation, but the Spanish present tense is completely normal here.

You would make both the demonstrative and the noun plural, and the verb would also change:

• No sé de dónde salen esos ruidos.

Changes:

• ese → esos
• ruido → ruidos
• sale → salen

That means I don’t know where those noises are coming from.