Learn Spanish (Spain): Vivo en el primer piso.

Vivo en el primer piso.

I live on the first floor.

Breakdown of Vivo en el primer piso.

in / on / by (means of transport) / about (after pensar)

Questions & Answers about Vivo en el primer piso.

Why is it primer and not primero?

Primero (first) drops its final -o when it comes directly before a masculine singular noun like piso. This is a special rule that also applies to tercero (which becomes tercer), but not to the other ordinal numbers.

Does primer piso mean the ground floor or the floor above it?

In Spain, the ground floor is called la planta baja or el bajo. El primer piso is the floor just above the ground floor. If you are used to the American system, this would actually be the second floor! Also, keep in mind that piso is the standard word in Spain for an apartment as well as a floor.

The English translation says "on the first floor". Why does the Spanish sentence use en?

The preposition en is very versatile and translates to "in", "on", or "at" depending on the context. When talking about being located on a certain floor or surface, Spanish naturally uses en.

Do ordinal numbers like primer always go before the noun?

Yes, ordinal numbers (first, second, third, etc.) usually go before the noun they describe. This is different from most regular descriptive adjectives in Spanish (like colors or sizes), which normally come after the noun.