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rez-de-chaussée

Draft – to be validated

n. m. · first floor (US) · ground floor (UK) · abbreviated: RDC

Definition

FR
Niveau d'un bâtiment situé au niveau du sol ou à peu près. C'est le niveau zéro : le premier étage est celui du dessus. On écrit souvent RDC, et « R+2 » désigne un rez-de-chaussée plus deux étages.
EN
The floor of a building at or near ground level. In French numbering it is level zero, so the first étage is the floor above it. Often written RDC; “R+2” means a ground floor plus two upper floors.

Diagram

FranceUSUK2e étage3rd floor2nd floor1er étage2nd floor1st floorrez-de-chaussée1st floorground floorSchéma de principe, non à l'échelle
Floor numbering of the same building in the three systems. Not validated: to be confirmed by the reviewers, including Canada and Australia.

Example sentences

Written (email, official document)

FRBonjour, merci de confirmer que le local technique est bien au rez-de-chaussée et non à l'étage au-dessus.

ENHello, please confirm that the mechanical room is on the ground floor and not on the floor above.

Spoken (standard)

FRL'accueil est au rez-de-chaussée et les bureaux sont au premier étage.

ENReception is on the first floor and the offices are on the second floor.

Spoken (informal)

FRJe t'attends au RDC, devant l'ascenseur.

ENI'll meet you on the ground floor, by the elevator.

To review: realism in a French office (FR), naturalness of the English (US).

Nuances and pitfalls

Numbering trap. In American English, the first floor is the ground floor: the American second floor is therefore the French premier étage. In the UK, numbering follows the French: ground floor, then first floor. A bare “1st floor” can mean two different levels. To be confirmed by the US and UK reviewers, and checked for Canada.

R+1, R+2. Common French notation: R+1 is a two-level building (two-story in the US), R+2 has three levels. There is no exact English equivalent.

Related terms

étagesous-solniveauR+1

Validation

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