¿a qué piso?
/a ˈke ˈpiso/word by word
The English phrase "what floor?" is translated into Spanish as ¿a qué piso?
¿a qué piso? is the standard phrase used by an elevator operator or a person inside an elevator to ask which floor a passenger wants to go to.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, the phrase means "to what floor?" The preposition a (to) is used to indicate the destination of the elevator ride, while qué is the interrogative adjective used to modify the noun piso.
How do you pronounce it?
/a ˈke ˈpiso/
When do people say it?
When someone asks ¿a qué piso?, a common way to respond is by stating the floor number, such as el primer piso (the first floor).
Did you know?
- In Spain, the term piso is the standard word for an 'apartment'. If a Spaniard says they are going to their piso, they are heading home, not to a specific level of a building.
- The noun piso is actually a deverbal noun, meaning it was created from the verb pisar, which means 'to step' or 'to tread'.
- While ¿a qué piso? is used for elevators, if you are asking which floor a person lives on in general, you would use ¿en qué piso? Changing the preposition a to en changes the meaning from destination to location.
Examples in context
- ¿En qué piso está el restaurante, por favor?What floor is the restaurant on, please?
- Oye, ¿en qué piso vives?Hey, what floor do you live on?
- Disculpe, ¿podría decirme a qué nivel corresponde este botón?Excuse me, could you please tell me which level this button corresponds to?
