piso o suelo

Question

I am a beginner and I get confused when in the lesson I learn a word one way and then in another lesson a different word is taught to mean the same thing. I.e. Piso and suelo. Is there a rule to know when to use a particular word,?

Answer 1

It can be slightly regional, in Europe "piso" means apartment, but in much of Latin America "piso" means floor and 'suelo' means ground. So if you're inside a building then 'piso' is often a good choice but if you're outside in the open you might go with 'suelo'. Of course if you're inside a home with a dirt floor you would probably use suelo.

Also piso is used for floors above the first floor. The first floor of a multi-story building is referred to as "planta baja" but then the upper floors are segundo piso, tercero piso, etc. In a single story building, the ground floor is referred to as piso.

I like the way how you explain - Raoul_B, Oct 31, 2012

Gracias Señor ;) (una cosita, 'how' quiere decir 'the way'; entonces se puede decir: 'I like how you explain things. o I like the way (that) you explain 'things' ;) - Kiwi-Girl, Oct 31, 2012

pero los dos en una sola oración no son necesarios ;) - Kiwi-Girl, Oct 31, 2012

Good explanation! - francobollo, Oct 31, 2012

MC, in Mexico both "piso" and "suelo" are used when talking about the surface of a floor. Also in buildings, the floor directly above "la planta baja" starts at "el primer piso" :-) - 005faa61, Nov 1, 2012

ok thanks you JC, good to know. :) @ Franco - gracias :) - Kiwi-Girl, Nov 1, 2012