Stupid dictionary.com Spanish word of the day-- they always often have typos so it got me thinking; I'm not sure if they meant to say fifth floor or sixth.
2007-02-21 02:09:00 · 9 answers · asked by Heywood J Helpaguy 2 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
quinto = fifth
But in Spain they don't consider the ground floor as the 1st floor. They start counting from what in most Latin American countries is the 2nd floor. So the 5th floor in Spain would be equivalent to the 6th floor in other countries.
It's a different way to number the floors in a building, but the word "quinto" means 5th (You'll have to press 5 in the elevator anyway, not 6... It just will be higher if you are in Spain).
2007-02-21 02:31:13 · answer #1 · answered by bbjaga 3 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Literally, "quinto piso" means fifth level, or fifth floor.
However, when many hispanophones (spanish speakers) say "en el quinto piso", they are actually referring to the sixth floor in their minds.
Here's why:
In Spain, and in some South American countries (like Argentina or Chile), the main/ground floor is "Floor 0" or "Level 0". Thus, the first basement floor would be "Floor -1", and the second "-2". On the other hand, the first floor above you would be "Floor 1" or the "First Floor", even though in English, we would call it the "Second Floor".
Thus, when you get to the "quinto piso", it's actually referring to what we would call the sixth floor, it's just the fifth floor above us, or "Floor 5".
If you think about it, it actually makes more sense mathematically to do it that way.
In Mexico and in most central American countries, however, they will say it like we do in the US.
2007-02-21 04:26:47 · answer #2 · answered by James, Pet Guy 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
En el quinto piso means "On the FIFTH floor". Sixth, is "Sexto"
2007-02-21 03:00:01 · answer #3 · answered by Bianca 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
En el quinto piso means on the 5th floor.
quinto means 5th so yes it is 5th floor
hope it help u
2007-02-21 06:16:11 · answer #4 · answered by nani 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Like Chinese people, they call ground-floor as 0 floor
2007-02-21 02:25:34 · answer #5 · answered by Swiss 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
cinco -is five. quinto is "the fifth"- quince is fifteenth. piso sexto - would be "sixth floor"
2007-02-21 03:01:27 · answer #6 · answered by edward t 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
It's "On the fifth floor".
2007-02-21 02:12:51 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
quinto - 5th
sexto - 6th
2007-02-21 03:24:33 · answer #8 · answered by Wibb 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
"On the fifth floor"
2007-02-21 02:18:19 · answer #9 · answered by SAD IN N.M. 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋