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Questions & Answers about El piso es liso.
What does piso mean in this sentence?
Piso here means floor (the bottom surface of a room). In most of Latin America piso refers to the floor itself. (In Spain piso can also mean apartment, so be careful with context.)
Why do we use es (from ser) and not está (from estar)?
We use ser to describe inherent or permanent characteristics. Saying El piso es liso tells us that the smoothness is an essential quality of that floor. Using estar would suggest a temporary state, which doesn’t fit well for a floor’s texture.
What exactly does liso mean? Could it be translated as “flat” or “smooth”?
Liso means smooth, emphasizing a surface free of bumps or texture. You can translate El piso es liso as “The floor is smooth.” While flat sometimes works, it usually refers to something being level or horizontal, not necessarily bump-free.
How do I make the sentence plural or feminine?
Adjectives in Spanish agree in gender and number with the noun:
- Masculine plural: Los pisos son lisos (The floors are smooth).
- Feminine singular: La pared es lisa (The wall is smooth).
- Feminine plural: Las paredes son lisas (The walls are smooth).
What’s the difference between liso and suave?
- Liso stresses that a surface has no bumps or irregularities.
- Suave stresses that something is soft or gentle to the touch.
A marble floor is liso, a blanket is suave.
Can I place liso before the noun (for example, el liso piso)?
Typically, descriptive adjectives come after the noun in Spanish: el piso liso. Putting it before (el liso piso) is grammatically possible but sounds poetic or unusual in everyday speech.
What’s the difference between liso and llano?
- Liso refers to a surface that’s smooth or free of texture.
- Llano refers to terrain that’s flat or level, without hills.
You’d say un terreno llano (a flat piece of land) but un piso liso (a smooth floor).
Can liso describe other things besides floors?
Yes. For example, pelo liso means straight (smooth) hair, and papel liso means smooth paper. Anytime you want to say something has a smooth, untextured surface, liso is your adjective.