French Phrase
En général, c'est au rez-de-chaussée.
Meaning
The sentence states that, as a rule or most of the time, something is located on the ground floor. It can refer to a room, a service desk, or any place within a building.
When to use
Use this phrase when you want to give a general location that is usually true, especially when answering questions like 'Where is the office?' or 'Where can I find the reception?'
✦Grammar Breakdown
Engénéral,c'estaurez-de-chaussée.
En général
An adverbial phrase meaning 'generally' or 'in general', placed at the beginning of the sentence.
c'est
Contraction of 'ce' (this/that) + 'est' (is); used to identify or describe something.
au
Contraction of the preposition 'à' + definite article 'le', meaning 'to the' or 'at the' before a masculine noun.
rez-de-chaussée
A compound noun meaning 'ground floor' (the floor at street level). Note the hyphens.
🗨In Conversation
Où se trouve la salle de réunion ?
Where is the meeting room?
En général, c'est au rez-de-chaussée.
In general, it's on the ground floor.
✕Common Mistakes
En général, c'est au rez de chaussée.
The term must be written with hyphens: 'rez-de-chaussée'.
En général, c'est au premier étage.
This changes the meaning; 'premier étage' is the floor above the ground floor.
En général, c'est le rez-de-chaussée.
Use 'au' (à + le) when indicating location, not 'le'.
↔Alternatives
Habituellement, c'est au rez-de-chaussée.
Usually, it's on the ground floor.
En règle générale, c'est au rez-de-chaussée.
As a rule, it's on the ground floor.
Le plus souvent, c'est au rez-de-chaussée.
Most often, it's on the ground floor.
Cultural Tip
In France, the floor at street level is called the 'rez-de-chaussée'. The floor above it is the 'premier étage'. This differs from the Anglo‑American system where the ground floor is often called the 'first floor'. In Quebec, you may also hear 'le rez-de-chaussée' or simply 'le rez'. Remember to keep the hyphens when writing the term.