floor plan / outline
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floor plan
A technical drawing that shows the plan of a building, apartment, or room from a bird's-eye view. It shows the arrangement of the walls, doors, and windows.
Der Architekt zeigte uns den Grundriss für unser neues Haus.
The architect showed us the floor plan for our new house.
The word is made up of 'Grund' (ground/base) and 'Riss' (drawing). Here, 'Riss' does not mean 'crack', but comes from the old word 'reißen' meaning 'to draw'. So a Grundriss is literally a drawing of the base.
Der Riss in der Wand ist neu, aber der Grundriss des Hauses ist alt.
The crack in the wall is new, but the floor plan of the house is old.
In an architectural context, 'Grundriss' is often combined with verbs like 'zeichnen' (to draw), 'erstellen' (to create), 'lesen' (to read), or 'ansehen' (to look at). You speak of the floor plan 'einer Wohnung' (of an apartment), 'eines Hauses' (of a house), or 'eines Zimmers' (of a room).
Können Sie mir den Grundriss der Wohnung per E-Mail schicken?
Can you send me the floor plan of the apartment by email?
You can recognize the figurative meaning from the context. If it is not about buildings, but about abstract topics like books, lectures, or theories, the basic structure is meant.
Der Autor erklärte den Grundriss seines neuen Romans.
The author explained the outline of his new novel.
Using 'Grundriss' for an abstract structure is typical of more formal, often academic or planning-related language.
Die Professorin gab einen Grundriss der politischen Theorien des 19. Jahrhunderts.
The professor gave an outline of the political theories of the 19th century.
plan
'der Plan' and 'der Grundriss' can both mean a drawing of rooms or buildings. However, 'der Plan' is more general: it can be a city map, building plan, timetable, or another schematic representation. 'der Grundriss' is more specific: it shows an apartment, a house, or a room from above, especially the walls, doors, and windows. Learners may confuse the words because a floor plan is often a special kind of plan. If you are talking generally about a map or a building plan, 'Plan' fits. If you mean the exact layout of rooms, 'Grundriss' is the more precise word.
Am Morgen vergleicht Mara den Grundriss der Wohnung mit den Fotos.
In the morning, Mara compares the apartment's floor plan with the photos.
Am Wochenende schaut sie sich den Plan für das neue Haus an.
At the weekend, she looks at the plan for the new house.