Question 1

What does No mean here, and is it “on” or “in” the second floor?

Accepted Answer

No is the contraction of em + o (“in/on the”). For floors, English usually says “on the second floor,” and Portuguese uses em: no segundo piso = “on the second floor.” Context decides whether em is “in” or “on.” With floors, think “on.”

Question 2

Is piso the same as andar? Which one is more common in Portugal?

Accepted Answer

They’re near-synonyms for “floor”/“storey.” In Portugal, andar is very common in speech for residential floors, and piso is also used (often in signage, parking garages, technical contexts). You can say no segundo andar or no segundo piso; both are fine.

Question 3

How are floors counted in Portugal compared with English-speaking countries?

Accepted Answer

In Portugal:
- Ground level is rés-do-chão (R/C).
- The level above that is 1.º andar/piso.
- Then 2.º andar/piso, etc.

So segundo piso is two levels above ground. That matches British usage (ground floor, first floor, second floor). Americans often call the ground floor the “first floor,” so “second floor” in the US is usually Portugal’s 1.º andar. Be careful with this mismatch.

Question 4

Can I write no 2.º piso instead of no segundo piso?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Both no 2.º piso and no segundo piso are standard. Use the ordinal indicator with a period in Portuguese: 1.º, 2.º, 3.º (masculine).

Question 5

Why is there a comma after No segundo piso?

Accepted Answer

It’s an introductory locative phrase. Portuguese commonly sets such fronted phrases off with a comma: No segundo piso, ... Without the comma isn’t wrong, but the comma is preferred for clarity.

Question 6

Does apartamento arrendado mean “apartment for rent” or “rented apartment”?

Accepted Answer

It means rented apartment (already leased). For “apartment for rent,” say apartamento para arrendar or apartamento para alugar.

Question 7

What’s the difference between arrendar and alugar in Portugal (and Brazil)?

Accepted Answer

- In Portugal: both exist. Arrendar is common/neutral for leasing real estate (legal/formal vibe), while alugar is also used in everyday speech for renting anything (cars, tools, houses). For property listings you’ll see both.
- In Brazil: alugar is the standard verb for renting; arrendar tends to mean leasing land/farms/businesses, often longer-term.

Question 8

Why is arrendado placed after apartamento?

Accepted Answer

Most adjectives follow the noun in Portuguese. Here arrendado is a past participle used as an adjective, so apartamento arrendado is the neutral order. Before-the-noun placement would sound marked or unusual with this word.

Question 9

What does tem vista para mean exactly? Could I use de instead?

Accepted Answer

Ter vista para [algo] means “to have a view of/overlook [something]” (orientation toward). De flips the meaning:
- tem vista para o parque = it looks onto the park.
- vista do parque = a view from the park (the park is the vantage point).
So use para for what you see; de/do for where you’re looking from.

Question 10

Are there other natural ways to say this part?

Accepted Answer

Yes:
- tem vista para o parque
- com vista para o parque
- dá para o parque (lit. “opens/faces onto the park”)
- virado para o parque (“facing the park”)

All are common in European Portuguese; choose by nuance or style.

Question 11

Should it be vista or vistas?

Accepted Answer

Both occur in real estate language:
- tem vista para o parque (singular) is perfectly natural.
- tem vistas para o parque (plural) is also frequent in ads.
Everyday speech often uses the singular; listings may like the plural for stylistic reasons.

Question 12

Why is it para o parque and not ao parque?

Accepted Answer

Para o expresses direction/orientation “toward/onto.” A(o) is a different preposition (“to/at the”) and doesn’t convey “view onto” in this idiom. So it’s vista para o parque, not vista ao parque.

Question 13

Do I need the definite article o before parque?

Accepted Answer

If it’s a specific, known park, use o: o parque. For a non-specific park, use um parque. Portuguese generally uses articles more than English:
- tem vista para o parque = “the park we both know”
- tem vista para um parque = “some park”

Question 14

Can I reorder the sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All of these are fine:
- O apartamento arrendado, no segundo piso, tem vista para o parque.
- O apartamento arrendado no segundo piso tem vista para o parque. (no comma if the phrase tightly identifies which apartment)
- No segundo piso, o apartamento arrendado tem vista para o parque.

Question 15

Any pronunciation tips for European Portuguese here?

Accepted Answer

- arrendado: the initial rr is a guttural sound [ʁ] in EP.
- vista: the s between vowels/voiceless consonants is [ʃ] in many EP accents: [ˈviʃtɐ].
- segundo: unstressed e = [ɨ]: [sɨˈɡũdu].
- parque: final e often reduced: [ˈpaɾk(ɨ)].
- piso: [ˈpizʊ]/[ˈpizɔ], with a close “i.”

Question 16

Why is it no segundo piso (masculine) and not na segunda piso?

Accepted Answer

Because piso is masculine, so the article is o and the contraction is no (em + o). If the noun were feminine, you’d use na (em + a), e.g., na segunda sala. Also, the ordinal must agree: segundo piso (m.), segunda sala (f.).

Question 17

Could I say Há vista para o parque instead of tem vista para o parque?

Accepted Answer

Not in the same way. Há means “there is/are,” and há vista sounds odd or incomplete. When the subject is the apartment, use tem: O apartamento tem vista para o parque. If you really want an impersonal construction, you could say something like Daqui há vista para o parque, but that changes the structure and emphasis.

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