Italian Phrase
È al secondo piano.
Meaning
Literally ‘It is on the second floor.’ The sentence is used to tell someone where a place, room, or object is located within a multi‑storey building.
When to use
Use this phrase when giving directions, describing the location of a classroom, office, apartment, or any space that is on the second floor of a building.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Èalsecondopiano
È (essere)
Third‑person singular present of the verb ‘essere’ (to be). It contracts with the subject when the subject is implicit.
al (a + il)
The preposition ‘a’ (to/at) combined with the masculine singular article ‘il’, forming the contraction ‘al’.
secondo (ordinal)
Ordinal number meaning ‘second’. It agrees in gender and number with the noun it modifies.
piano (noun)
Masculine singular noun meaning ‘floor’ or ‘level’ of a building.
🗨In Conversation
Dove è la biblioteca?
Where is the library?
È al secondo piano.
It's on the second floor.
✕Common Mistakes
È al secondo piani.
‘Piano’ is singular here because you refer to one specific floor.
E al secondo piano.
Missing the accent on ‘È’; without it the word means ‘and’ (e).
È al secondo piano?
When stating a fact you usually use a period, not a question mark, unless you’re actually asking.
↔Alternatives
Si trova al secondo piano.
It is located on the second floor.
È al piano due.
It's on floor two.
È al secondo livello.
It's on the second level.
Cultural Tip
In Italy the ground floor is called ‘piano terra’. The floor above it is the ‘primo piano’, and the next one is the ‘secondo piano’. So ‘secondo piano’ is actually the third level from street level. Also, ‘piano’ can refer to an apartment (e.g., ‘un appartamento al secondo piano’).