un rez de chaussée plus bas que l'étage
English translation: keep it vague
| 20:20 Apr 19, 2009 |
| French to English translations [Non-PRO] Construction / Civil Engineering / description of a building | |||||||
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|  Selected response from: Bourth (X) Local time: 12:08 | ||||||
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| Discussion entries: 8 | |
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Answers
15 mins confidence: 
a main floor below ground level Explanation: It sounds as if the main floor is partialli dug below ground lavel. A sort of half basement, we would say in North America |
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1 hr confidence:
a lower-ground-floor Explanation: Citation de Dick Francis (écrivain anglais) : "Caroline lived in what she described as a lower-ground-floor apartment". C'est très courant en GB et aussi aux USA. On y accède par un demi niveau d'escaliers. |
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2 hrs confidence:
What is presumably the rez-de-chaussée is the first floor, and the rez-de-chaussée is terrace-level Explanation: Hello, That's my 2 cents. terrace-level = below ground I hope it helps. |
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2 hrs confidence:
| un rez de chaussée plus bas que l\'étage a ground floor below the first floor/upper story Explanation: * |
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7 hrs confidence:
basement floor Explanation: , |
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14 hrs confidence:
a g/f smaller in height than... Explanation: It could be referring to the height of the RdC. The fact that the RdC is not or was not constructed to std regulations. "plus bas que l'étage..." is a comparison as I see it. |
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11 hrs confidence: peer agreement (net): +1
peer agreement (net): +1keep it vague Explanation: Either this is simply poorly written (a RdC is always "lower than" = "below" a (n upper) floor") or it is cleverly written to give a false impression. If we assume that "plus bas que" means "below", as logic tells us it should, we can imagine reception halls etc. with a fine aerial view over the French garden, fountains, etc. or whatever surrounds this chateau. On the other hand, if "plus bas que" means its literal "lower than", then maybe the chateau has split-level flooring, with, in addition (?) a front entrance level higher (or lower) than the rear-entrance level (ceci expliquant cela), the result being (possibly) that the reception area you are paying a great deal of money for is not as elevated as you might have thought. Then again, maybe "bas" refers to the ceiling height, so while upon entering the building it might seem low and dingy, once you get to the reception level you find it's high-ceilinged and luminous. I'd have thought the entrance level would have a high ceiling, but anything is possible (especially if the owners reserve part of the place for their own use and, even if they rent out the luxurious reception halls, make people use the dark and dingy service entrance ...) -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs (2009-04-20 11:09:44 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- If you look at the house in the picture here http://www4.culture.fr/patrimoines/patrimoine_architectural_... it does indeed appear that the RdC has less headroom than the upper floor. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs (2009-04-20 11:16:15 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- 1st def. in Larousse Lexis : 1. BAS, BASSE ... 1. (après le nom) Se dit de ce qui a peu de hauteur ou d'intensité, de ce qui est incliné vers le sol : Ce qui frappait d'abord dans cette longue salle basse et voûtée était un singulier aspect de propreté et d'ordre (Gracq) [= dont le plafond est peu élevé] The fact that the dictionary felt the dont le plafond est peu élevé explanation was necessary suggests that the meaning is not immediately obviously even to the most native French speaker. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 14 hrs (2009-04-20 11:17:42 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Ily thinkly myly fingersly arely losingly controllly. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 hrs (2009-04-20 11:22:09 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- Your picture: Yup, similar to, but on a grander scale than, that farm cottage in Brittany above. -------------------------------------------------- Note added at 15 hrs (2009-04-20 11:27:14 GMT) -------------------------------------------------- I wonder for how much longer we'll be able to say things like "native French speaker" without being accused of racism (of making snide comments about African francophones). There's a UN conference on that sort of thing right now, I understand. |
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18 hrs confidence:
a recessed entrance level Explanation: You know how they tell you to pick the first answer to a test question that you think is right, because your gut instinct reacts right away...well, this is the impression I got at first read. I encountered many buildings in France (none of them chateaux unfortunately) where you must go down a step or two, or three, to get inside the "main floor". The debate here is interesting, and the lower ceiling idea indeed seems valid as well...but if it turns out to be the floor (underfoot) that is "plus bas", I wanted to offer you the "recessed" wording. |
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