Dictionary / The second floor
How to Say "The second floor" in French
Le premier étage
/lə pʁəmje etaʒ/
Literally: The first storey
Le premier
the first
étage
storey above ground
Good to know
In lifts, ground level is marked RC or 0 for rez-de-chaussée. Anything below is -1, -2. This is the European convention generally, not a French quirk, but the French words are what trip people up.
Correct
Le premier étage
What people say wrong
Le deuxième étage
the third floor to an American
The mistake to avoid. French ground level is the rez-de-chaussée and isn't counted, so every floor number shifts by one. Le deuxième étage is what an American calls the third floor. This costs people meetings, not just marks.
In context
C'est au premier étage, à droite.
It's on the second floor, on the right.
L'accueil est au rez-de-chaussée.
Reception is on the ground floor.
Le parking est au sous-sol.
The car park is in the basement.