What floor do you live on

Which/what floor do you live on?

Henryk

Senior Member

I’d like to know whether both are possible. I chose «what» in a test and I can’t explain why he did so. After all, there’s not really a selection the asked person can choose from.

Thanks in advance.

Josh_

Senior Member

Siberia

Senior Member

Реакции: RM1(SS)

Henryk

Senior Member

Thanks a lot both of you.

That’s exactly what I’m up to! There was no statement about the house so I took «what» and not «which».

The complete task was as follows:

So where should I know from that there’s a second floor at all? By using «which», I suggest a knowledge about the house but I didn’t have it.

Siberia

Senior Member

AngelEyes

Senior Member

I’m going to throw in another opinion.

When you have a limited number of options to choose from, I think you should use which.

So, for this specific example I’d say:

«Which floor do you live on?» (as in which one? which? You wouldn’t ask what one?)
«I live on the second floor.»

But are you saying you only found out about the second floor after you had the opportunity to fill in the blank?

Henryk

Senior Member

Thanks for your answer.

So, for this specific example I’d say:

«Which floor do you live on?» (as in which one? which? You wouldn’t ask what one?)
«I live on the second floor.»

But you’d only say that if you know the number of floors the house has (as you wrote), wouldn’t you?

Is it of importance? I knew that the answer is «on the second floor».

But I don’t think it is of importance since it’s just an example. There was no statement on the house before and an answer cannot influence the question to it, can it?

AngelEyes

Senior Member

Even if I didn’t know which floor you lived on, I’d still ask you, «Which floor do you live on?»

Me: «What kind of place do you live in?»

You: «I live in an apartment building.»

Me: «Really? Which floor do you live on?»

You: «The second floor.»

Me: «What kind of neighbors do you have?»

You: «The ones on one side are quiet. The ones who live above me party all night.»

Me: «Which ones do you prefer?»

You: «Which ones would you choose?»

When I have options to choose from, I use which.

Henryk

Senior Member

panjandrum

Lapsed Moderator

I would have expected to answer this as I would answer most which/what questions. Which if there are known limits to the value set, what otherwise.

But for some reason that doesn’t apply in relation to buildings. Which floor is that on? Which floor do you work on? These are the normal, routine, everyday questions.
Are these questions OK with what?
What floor do you work on?
Perhaps.
But the which version seems most natural. I wonder why?

I guess that it is because it is implicit that I am asking «which of the floors in the building», not «what floor in a theoretical range from 1 to a very large indeterminate number».

AngelEyes

Senior Member

I don’t blame you for being confused. I found a couple of sites that say they’re interchangeable.

I found a couple that state it depends on if you are speaking about something in general (What kind of place do you live in?) as opposed to selecting an answer from a variety of options. (Which floor in that building is yours?)

Also, as Panj suggested, when you ask a question that is a choosing between several options, which just seems to apply better.

But he’s Irish and I’m American, so I don’t know if you can base our answers on where we live, either.

Hopefully, someone will step in and add some new perspective.

Henryk

Senior Member

Thanks again for your answers. They are sufficient for me.

But «what» doesn’t sound weird enough to be looked at oddly, does it?

Moviefans

Senior Member

Mark1993

New Member

Old, but interesting discussion.

When I’m in the same elevator or buidling, I would naturally say: «Which floor do you live on?» as the number of floors are limited.

However the number of floors are never mentioned during the conversation. The question also doesn’t specify the building itself, and I’m myself not aware of how many floors that apartment block actually has. Therefor: «What floor do you live on?» works perfectly fine for me as well.

If I meet somebody on the street and he/she tells me that he/she lives somewhere in Manhattan, I would probably ask «What floor do you live on?». Simply because I don’t know how many floors the apartment has. In this situation «Which floor do you live on?» sounds a bit awkward, because I don’t even know the building (Just imagine the answer would be «floor 3.5»).

Tonia D.I.

New Member

What floor? (to me, means the number, i.e. 1st, 2nd. )
Which floor (for me signifies, exactly where I live, i.e. 2nd. )

panjandrum

Lapsed Moderator

Old, but interesting discussion.

When I’m in the same elevator or buidling, I would naturally say: «Which floor do you live on?» as the number of floors are limited.

However the number of floors are never mentioned during the conversation. The question also doesn’t specify the building itself, and I’m myself not aware of how many floors that apartment block actually has. Therefor: «What floor do you live on?» works perfectly fine for me as well.

If I meet somebody on the street and he/she tells me that he/she lives somewhere in Manhattan, I would probably ask «What floor do you live on?». Simply because I don’t know how many floors the apartment has. In this situation «Which floor do you live on?» sounds a bit awkward, because I don’t even know the building (Just imagine the answer would be «floor 3.5»).

What floor do you live on

Living «in» the floor means literally living in the ground between the floors

Living «in» the floor means literally living in the ground between the floors

May I ask one more question please?

1. Индивидуальный подход к студентам

2. Программа обучения от простого к сложному.

Thanks in advance ⭐

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Should I say «‘In’ which floor are you living in /on «?

What is the better way to ask person which floor is he living in / on?

Which floor are living in?

Which floor are living on?

In which floor are living in?

In which floor are living on?

5 Answers 5

If my friend lived on a college campus like this one:

then I would ask:

If the university had more than one campus (say, an east campus and a west campus), then I might begin with:

I think because «a floor» is [originally] a surface, you can’t live «in» it, only «on» it.

Same goes to «level«, for instance. A «level» is [originally] a measure, the distance from the base point or plane. Since a representation of such a measure would be another plane or a sphere (if measured from a point), in other word a surface, it has no thickness, and only allows being «on» it, not «in» it for such three-dimensional beings like humans.

Which floor do you live on? (or)
On which floor do you live? (so not to end on a preposition)

Об английском с любовью

Вопросы с предлогами. Предлоги места.

В предыдущих сообщениях я рассказала о трудных случаях с вопросами, в которых часто ошибаются и путаются. Теперь разберемся с вопросами, в которых есть предлоги. От кого…? С кем…? О ком…? Для чего…? — так обычно начинаются вопросы с предлогами. Роль предлогов в русском языке – важная, но скромная, служебная. Английские предлоги гораздо более активны и подвижны. Есть всего три раздела в английской грамматике, которые труднее всего поддаются тупой зубрежке и правилам, и где почти всегда есть ошибки. Это – артикли, словообразование и предлоги. Поэтому предлоги – это отдельная обширная тема, которую надо рассматривать очень подробно и неторопливо. Но так как вопросы с предлогами частенько встречаются в нашей жизни, то несколько основных предлогов стоит понять и выучить прямо сейчас.

Итак, самое главное – это понять, выучить и знать несколько очень часто встречаемых предлогов. Вопросы с предлогами строятся по таким же моделям, как и специальные вопросы, только предлог надо поставить в конец предложения, хотя можно его поставить и в начале, перед вопросительным словом.

Основные предлоги места : ( отвечают на вопросы Где? )

В каком городе он живет? = What city does he live IN?
IN what city does he live?

В какой коробке вы храните пуговицы? = What box do you keep buttons IN?
IN what box do you keep buttons?

В каких предложениях он сделал ошибки? = What sentences did he make
mistakes IN?
In what sentences did he make
mistakes?

AT = (первое значение) У, ОКОЛО, ЗА, то есть речь идет о нахождении в непосредственной близости от чего-то. ГДЕ? У окна, у двери, за столом, около дома. Тогда вопросы могут быть:

За каким столом он обычно сидит? = What table does he usually sit AT?
AT what table does he usually sit?

Около чьего дома растет это чудесный сад? = Whose house does this wonderful
garden grow AT?
AT whose house does this wonderful
garden grow?
= (второе значение) В, НА, то есть речь идет о присутствии или участии в процессе, который совершается в определенном месте. ГДЕ? На уроке, на собрании, на лекции, или в театре, в концерте. Тогда вопросы могут быть:

На какой фабрике он работает? = What factory does he work AT?
AT What factory does he work?

На каком уроке вы часто пишете диктанты?= What lesson do you often have
dictations AT?
AT what lesson do you have
dictations?

ON = НА, то есть нахождение на поверхности. ГДЕ? На столе, на полу, на земле, на кровати, на странице. Тогда вопросы могут быть:

На какой странице есть упражнения? = What page are exercises ON?
ON what page are exercises?

На каком этаже вы живете? = What floor do you live ON?
ON what floor do you live?

UNDER = ПОД, то есть местонахождение под каким-то предметом. ГДЕ? Под деревом, под столом, под кроватью. Тогда вопросы могут быть:

Под каким кустом он спрятал кролика? = What bush has he hidden the rabbit
UNDER?
UNDER what bush has he hidden
the rabbit?

Под чьим столом ты нашел ключ? = Whose table have you found the key
UNDER?
UNDER whose table have you found
the key?

What floor do you live on

@domybarahona

on the floor means what you are stepping like the cement floor or tiles floor

what floor do u live means building or floors like first floor 2nd floor

@domybarahona what floor do u live in means a place

@domybarahona

the pencil is on the floor
i live in the 2nd floor appartment (place)

u drop the book on the floor (the part of th3 house that we are stepping at our feet )

she live in here (place)

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