Italian--"Sul pianterrano" or "Nel pianterrano"? Also, how do you say "club" (like a school club?)

Question

I want to say that "the gym is on the ground floor" in Italian. Do you say "sul pianterrano" or "nel pianterrano"? Also, if I want to say something like "debate club", what word would I use for club?

Answer 1

"On the groundfloor" is "AL pianterreno" or "AL piano terra". You cannot use either NEL or SUL, although SUL wouldn't sound so wrong to some Italian speakers. Yet, AL is the most appropriate preposition. Therefore: "la palestra è/si trova al pianterreno".

As to "club", it's difficult to translate because we don't have clubs at school (our school's a bore). I'd call it a "gruppo" - gruppo di lettura, gruppo di recitazione, gruppo di pittura, etc. "Debate club" I would translate as "gruppo di dibattito/discussione". I think it's the best translation, really.

You're welcome!

Answer 2

al pianterreno, nel seminterrato.
it depends. it's the same.
"sul" means "above", so it isn't correct in this sentence.