Buller från gatan kan ibland höras i sovrummet.

Noise from the street can sometimes be heard in the bedroom.

Breakdown of Buller från gatan kan ibland höras i sovrummet.

• i: in
• kunna: can
• ibland: sometimes
• sovrummet: the bedroom
• från: from
• gatan: the street
• bullret: the noise
• höras: to be heard

Questions & Answers about Buller från gatan kan ibland höras i sovrummet.

What does buller mean exactly, and how is it different from ljud, oljud, or oväsen?

Buller is noise that is usually loud and often a bit disturbing, like traffic, construction work, or machinery. It’s often used for background environmental noise.

Comparison:

• ljud = sound (neutral)
  
  • ett ljud – a sound (could be nice, neutral, or unpleasant)
• buller = (loud) noise, rumbling, droning
  
  • buller från gatan – traffic noise, street noise
• oljud / oväsen = racket, commotion (more obviously negative, annoying)
  
  • grannens oljud – the neighbour’s racket

In your sentence, buller från gatan is the natural way to say noise from the street (e.g. cars, buses, people).

Why is there no article before buller? Could I say ett buller från gatan?

Buller is usually treated as a mass (uncountable) noun in Swedish, like water or noise in English. In that mass sense, you do not use ett:

• Buller från gatan kan ibland höras… – Noise from the street can sometimes be heard…

You can say ett buller in some contexts, but then it means a single crash/boom/roar – a specific, countable event:

• Ett buller hördes från köket. – A bang/boom was heard from the kitchen.

In your sentence we are talking about general, ongoing traffic noise, so the mass form buller without an article is correct.

What does the -s on höras mean? Why is it höras and not höra?

The -s ending here marks the passive voice.

• höra = to hear (active)
• höras = to be heard (passive)

So:

• Man kan höra buller från gatan.
  – One can hear noise from the street. (active: someone hears it)

• Buller från gatan kan höras i sovrummet.
  – Noise from the street can be heard in the bedroom. (passive: it is hearable there)

In your sentence, kan höras literally corresponds to English can be heard.

Why is the word order kan ibland höras? Could I also say ibland kan höras or kan höras ibland?

The neutral word order in main clauses is:

Subject – verb – (sentence adverb) – rest

So:

• Buller från gatan (subject)
• kan (verb 1, modal)
• ibland (sentence adverb)
• höras (verb 2, infinitive)

→ Buller från gatan kan ibland höras i sovrummet.

Other options:

• Ibland kan buller från gatan höras i sovrummet.
  – Also correct. Putting ibland first emphasizes sometimes a bit more.

• Buller från gatan kan höras ibland i sovrummet.
  – Also possible. Here ibland is more tied to höras, almost like can be heard there occasionally.

But Buller från gatan ibland kan höras… is not normal word order. The most natural versions are the original one and the one with ibland at the beginning.

How does kan work here? Why is it kan höras and not kan att höras?

Kan is a modal verb meaning can / is able to / may. In Swedish, modal verbs are followed directly by an infinitive without att:

• kan höra – can hear
• kan höras – can be heard
• vill höra – wants to hear
• måste höra – must hear

You only use att with ordinary verbs in infinitive:

• börja att läsa or börja läsa – start to read

But:

• kan läsa (never kan att läsa)

So kan höras is the standard modal + infinitive pattern.

Can you rephrase the sentence using an active form (höra) instead of the passive höras? Does the meaning change?

Yes. A natural active version would be:

• Man kan ibland höra buller från gatan i sovrummet.
  – You / one can sometimes hear noise from the street in the bedroom.

Differences:

• Passive (original):
  Buller från gatan kan ibland höras i sovrummet.
  Focuses more on the noise itself and the fact that it is hearable in the bedroom.

• Active:
  Man kan ibland höra buller från gatan i sovrummet.
  Brings in an (unspecified) hearer (man) and focuses more on people being able to hear it.

Both describe the same situation; it’s mostly a stylistic difference.

Why is it gatan and sovrummet (definite forms)? How do I know when to use the definite form here?

In Swedish, the definite article is mainly a suffix:

• gata – street
• gatan – the street
• sovrum – bedroom
• sovrummet – the bedroom

In your sentence:

• från gatan = from the street (not just any street; the one outside the house)
• i sovrummet = in the bedroom (a specific bedroom already known from context: typically the one in the home)

English also uses the here:

• Noise from the street can sometimes be heard in the bedroom.

So the Swedish definite forms gatan and sovrummet match the English definite article.

Why is it i sovrummet and not på sovrummet?

i is used for inside something: rooms, buildings, cities, countries, etc.

• i sovrummet – in the bedroom (inside the room)
• i huset – in the house
• i Stockholm – in Stockholm

på is used for surfaces and many set expressions:

• på bordet – on the table
• på jobbet – at work
• på skolan – at school (institution, not inside the building as a physical space)

Since you are talking about what is heard inside the bedroom, i sovrummet is the correct preposition.

How do you pronounce buller, gatan, höras, and sovrummet?

Approximate pronunciations for an English speaker (Swedish vowels are a bit different, this is just a guide):

• buller ≈ "BOOL-ler"

  • u like the vowel in British put, but a bit longer
  • stress on the first syllable: BULL-er

• gatan ≈ "GAH-tan"

  • a like a in father
  • stress on GA

• höras ≈ "HÖH-ras"

  • ö like the vowel in bird (British English) or French peur
  • stress on HÖ

• sovrummet ≈ "SOHV-rum-met"

  • o like in saw (but a bit shorter)
  • u like in put
  • stress on the first syllable: SOV-rum-met