Someone tells you they live op de eerste verdieping, you climb to what you think is the first floor, and you are at the wrong door. The Netherlands counts floors the European way, and it pairs with the ordinal numbers, two things worth getting straight before your next visit or appointment.
The floor trap: begane grond is floor 0
In the Netherlands, the ground floor is the begane grond (also parterre), marked BG or 0 in a lift. The eerste verdieping (first floor) is one flight up from there. So:
| Dutch | What it is | Lift button |
|---|---|---|
| de begane grond / parterre | ground level | BG or 0 |
| de eerste verdieping | one floor up | 1 |
| de tweede verdieping | two floors up | 2 |
| de kelder / het souterrain | basement | -1 / K |
| de zolder | attic / top | , |
If you come from a country where “first floor” means ground level, you will arrive a floor too low. As newcomer guides like IamExpat note, op de eerste verdieping always means up one.
The ordinal numbers behind it
Floors use ordinal numbers (rangtelwoorden). The pattern, per Dutch grammar references:
| Number | Ordinal |
|---|---|
| 1 | eerste |
| 2 | tweede |
| 3 | derde |
| 4 | vierde |
| 5 | vijfde |
| 6 | zesde |
| 7 | zevende |
From there most are number + -de (negende, tiende, twaalfde). The switch is to -ste for achtste (8th) and from twintigste (20th) upward: eenentwintigste, dertigste, honderdste. The irregular ones to memorise are just eerste, derde, and achtste. Onze Taal lists the full set.
Where ordinals show up
Ordinals do more than floors:
- Floors: de derde verdieping.
- Dates (spoken): de eerste mei (the first of May), though numbers are often used plainly too, as in telling the date.
- Rankings: de tweede plaats (second place).
- Order: ten eerste, ten tweede (firstly, secondly).
- Directions: de tweede straat links (the second street on the left), handy when asking the way.
In a building or address
Useful words when you are finding a flat:
| Dutch | English |
|---|---|
| de verdieping / etage | floor / storey |
| de lift / de trap | lift / stairs |
| de gang | corridor |
| boven / beneden | upstairs / downstairs |
These pair with knowing how Dutch addresses and the huisnummer work, where a floor can show up as a toevoeging (like I, II, III).
Where it connects
Ordinals and floors sit with cardinal numbers and prices, telling the date, and asking for directions. Reading the floor is part of finding any Dutch address.
The bottom line
In the Netherlands the ground floor is the begane grond (0), and the eerste verdieping is one flight up, so count higher than you might expect. The ordinals run eerste, tweede, derde, vierde…, mostly number + -de, switching to -ste at achtste and from twintigste. Learn the floor words and the irregular ordinals (eerste, derde, achtste), and you will always step out on the right floor.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, that teaches the ordinal numbers and floor words, begane grond, eerste verdieping, tweede, derde, in five-minute lessons built on real buildings and lifts, so you always step out on the right floor.
Frequently asked questions
What is the ground floor called in Dutch?
The ground floor is the begane grond, sometimes called the parterre, and in a lift it is marked BG or 0. The eerste verdieping (first floor) is one flight up from there, not the ground level. This follows the European convention, so if someone lives op de eerste verdieping, you go up one floor, which surprises people used to the American system where floor 1 is the ground floor.
What are the ordinal numbers in Dutch?
The first few are eerste (1st), tweede (2nd), derde (3rd), vierde (4th), vijfde (5th), zesde (6th), zevende (7th). From there most are the number plus -de: negende, tiende. But you use -ste for achtste (8th) and from twintigste (20th) upward: eenentwintigste, dertigste, honderdste. Ordinals are used for floors, dates, rankings and order.
Why is the Dutch first floor not the ground floor?
Because the Netherlands counts floors the European way: the ground level is the begane grond (floor 0), and counting of verdiepingen (storeys above ground) starts at one above it. So the eerste verdieping is the second level of the building. If you are from a country where ‘first floor’ means ground level, expect to go one floor higher than you might think when an address says eerste verdieping.
What is the best app to learn Dutch numbers and floors?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, is the best pick because it teaches the ordinal numbers and floor vocabulary you actually use, begane grond, eerste verdieping, tweede, derde, in five-minute real-situation lessons, so you read addresses and lift buttons correctly and step out on the right floor.
