• justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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    2 months ago

    More or less everybody except US and Russia has zero floor, counting in big office buildings is fun: 3,2,1,-1,-2, I know… The concept of a number zero is not that old (couple hundred years, don’t remember the details), but should be enough to update your language :-*

    • elucubra@sopuli.xyz
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      2 months ago

      0 is a couple of centuries old???

      You may want to check that one out, you may be missing a zero somewhere there…

    • Soggy@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      We usually do B1, B2 etc. for “basement levels” rather than negative numbers. But if there’s just one then it’s usually “basement” with no number.

        • virku@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          I see. Weird that our so similar languages differ like this. But our counting systems are also vastly different, so maybe it isn’t so weird anyway?

          Sometimes we can have the entrance in a basement which would then be denoted as the basement and not the first floor. I guess the basement example is when what the british names ground floor is partially underground. In all other cases our first floor is where the main entrance is.

      • justme@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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        2 months ago

        Therefore “more or less” ;) of course I didn’t make a study on it, just traveled a bunch of countries and only in thosei noticed it… Needing to add that this is not something that would jump in my eye first time I visit a county.

        On a side note: in Germany, we use the -2, -1, 0, 1, 2 scheme, bit most of the times they write it more clear with: 1. OG (first upper floor), EG (ground floor), 1. UG (First lower floor). I think “upper” and “lower” is not a good translation, but I’m now to tired to think of someone better suiting

      • thebestaquaman@lemmy.world
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        2 months ago

        Kind of, yes, but I feel the Norwegian word “etasje” is better translated to “storey” than “floor”. Taking that translation, we’re saying “first storey, second storey, etc.” rather than “first floor, second floor, etc.” which I guess everybody can agree makes sense.