hall vs living room

[tulipflower]

Can 'hall' and 'living room' be the same thing?
In Iran, we call hall the room which according to dictionary definition is a living room (We sit there and watch TV). Now, I can't imagine what a 'hall' looks like in English and how 'hall' and a 'living room' are different.

 

[Tarheel]

Can 'hall' and 'living room' be the same thing?
In Iran, we call "hall" the room which according to dictionary definition is a living room (We sit there and watch TV). Now, I can't imagine what a 'hall' looks like in English and how 'hall' and a 'living room' are different.

A hall is a large room where people gather for various things. A living room is a smaller room where people gather for various things. In the case of a living room it's usually members of the same family.

 

[tedmc]

The spaces have different uses and are called different names in different places.

A hall/hallway could also be a lobby, usually an empty space, before you enter into a room in a house. A living room/lounge is the largest and main area of the house where family members spend most of their time to interact and relax.

 

[5jj]

Most residences in the UK have a hall in the sense ted defined it. Few have a hall in in any other sense.

 

[emsr2d2]

A hall can also be a long corridor with rooms leading off it. When I was at school, there was one main rule when not in class - "No running in the halls!"

 

[Rover_KE]

That surprises me. I’ve only ever heard ‘hall’ meaning ‘corridor’ used in North American English.

 

[5jj]

Me too. At the schools I attended and taught at, the hall was always the very large place used for assemblies, school plays and lunches.

 

[emsr2d2]

Me too. At the schools I attended and taught at, the hall was always the very large place used for assemblies, school plays and lunches.

For me, that was the "school hall". Some teachers used "No running in the corridors" but the signs on the wall said "No running in the halls". I suspect that might be the same at American schools because I think students can get something called a "hall pass", allowing them to be outside the classroom during normal teaching times.

 

[SoothingDave]

Other than being a corridor, "hall" is also used in AmE for a large gathering place. The local "fire hall" is used for wedding receptions and such (such space is owned and managed by the local volunteer fire department). A space like that run as a private business would be a "banquet hall."

And, of course, on college campuses we have "lecture halls."

 

[jutfrank]

I'd say that one of the most essential differences is that a hall is a place for people to congregate. A living room, on the other hand, may be occupied, or even purposely designed, for a single person. Although it's more likely that multiple people do share a living room, and spend time together in it, that's not an essential part of its function. A hall has as part of its function the idea that several people can fit into it—in other words, it has a social function. That's why they tend to be large rooms.

 

[Tarheel]

That surprises me. I’ve only ever heard ‘hall’ meaning ‘corridor’ used in North American English.

That's a hallway.

 

[emsr2d2]

That's a hallway.

Is it a "hallway pass" then?

 

[Tarheel]

Is it a "hallway pass" then?

No, it's still a hall pass. (I don't remember those things being in use when I went to elementary school. Of course, there are a lot of things I don't remember about that.)

 

[dunchee]

Before I came to the US, I only learned "living room," so imagine my surprise when my landlord corrected me when I called his "family room" a living room. And yes, he also had a living room at the front next to the entrance with formal decorations and no TV.

The Wikipedia page explains it better (than several dictionaries I consulted):

Family room - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[SoothingDave]

I disagree with Tarheel. "Hall" and "hallway" are synonyms when referring to a corridor.