Ese ruido parece extraño.

Ese is a demonstrative adjective, used before a noun to point something out: that noise.

In Spain Spanish, the basic contrast is:

• este = this
• ese = that
• aquel = that over there / that one further away

So ese ruido means that noise. It refers to a specific noise that the speaker and listener can identify in some way.

Because ruido is a masculine noun in Spanish, and the demonstrative has to agree with it.

Agreement here is:

• masculine singular: ese ruido
• feminine singular: esa voz
• masculine plural: esos ruidos
• feminine plural: esas voces

Even though ruido ends in -o, which often signals masculine nouns, the important point is that it is grammatically masculine, so ese is the correct form.

Not exactly. Parece comes from the verb parecer, which usually means to seem or to appear.

So:

• Ese ruido parece extraño = That noise seems strange
• Ese ruido es extraño = That noise is strange

Both can be translated naturally into English, but parece extraño sounds a bit softer or less absolute. It suggests the speaker is judging based on impression: it seems strange.

Because the subject is ese ruido, which is singular.

The verb must agree with the subject:

• Ese ruido parece extraño = singular
• Esos ruidos parecen extraños = plural

So parece is the third person singular form of parecer.

Because extraño is describing ruido, and adjectives in Spanish usually agree with the noun they describe in gender and number.

Since ruido is masculine singular, the adjective must also be masculine singular:

• ruido extraño
• voz extraña
• ruidos extraños
• voces extrañas

So extraño matches ruido.

Yes. As an adjective, extraño can mean things like:

• strange
• odd
• unfamiliar

But learners often notice that extraño can also look like a verb form. For example:

• Te extraño = I miss you (common in Latin America, less typical in Spain)

That is not what is happening in Ese ruido parece extraño. Here, extraño is clearly an adjective describing ruido.

In Spain, for I miss you, people more often say te echo de menos.

In Spanish, descriptive adjectives often come after the noun.

So:

• un ruido extraño = a strange noise

That is the normal, neutral order.

If you move many adjectives before the noun in Spanish, the tone can become more literary, subjective, or emphatic. With extraño, the most natural everyday order here is after the noun: ruido extraño.

Yes, you could, but it does not feel exactly the same.

• Ese ruido parece extraño = That noise seems strange
• Ese extraño ruido = That strange noise

In Ese extraño ruido, extraño is part of the noun phrase and directly labels the noise as strange.

In Ese ruido parece extraño, the sentence is making a judgment about the noise: it seems strange.

So the original sentence is about appearance or impression, not just naming it as the strange noise.

Because ese already works as a determiner. In Spanish, you normally do not combine a demonstrative adjective like ese with a definite article before the noun.

So you say:

• ese ruido
• not el ese ruido

A demonstrative like ese fills the same slot that el/la/los/las would normally fill.

You would make the noun, demonstrative, verb, and adjective all agree in the plural:

• Esos ruidos parecen extraños.

Changes:

• ese → esos
• ruido → ruidos
• parece → parecen
• extraño → extraños

This is a good example of how several parts of a Spanish sentence often change together.

Ruido is pronounced roughly RWEE-doh.

A few useful points:

• The r in ruido is a single r, not the strong rolled rr sound.
• The ui is usually pronounced together as a diphthong.
• Stress falls on rui-: RUI-do

So it is not roo-EE-do, but more like RWEE-doh.

Normally, no. In modern standard Spanish, demonstratives like este, ese, aquel are generally written without accent marks, whether they are adjectives or pronouns.

So you write:

• Ese ruido parece extraño.
• Ese parece extraño.

Older materials may sometimes show accented forms like ése, but that is no longer the standard recommendation.