Beginner English Conversation About Our House And Garden

What is the ground floor in British English?

In Britain, the floor at street level is the ground floor. You walk in from the street onto the ground floor. The floor above it is the first floor. This is different in America. In American English, the floor at street level is the first floor. So the British “first floor” is the American “second floor.” This can be confusing, so it is a very useful thing to know.

In the clip, someone asks, “Are the bedrooms upstairs or downstairs?” The answer is “Upstairs on the 1st Floor.” In Britain that means one floor above the ground. An American family in the same house would call the bedrooms the second floor.