Because pointing up just doesn't cut it

Many of my vocabulary challenges were rooted in words that I thought I knew, but actually didn't.
Think about this: do you know how to say, "I was upstairs?"

Simply and sadly enough, the French have no real word for upstairs or downstairs. But you don't have to improvise! You've got me to spend my free time frantically typing away at my keyboard for you!
Do you remember how to say above or below? No? No big deal; most Americans can't even tell the difference between the two, especially when spoken.
Directly:

Au-dessus = above
Au-dessous = below


I won't normally help with pronunciation, but this is too much.
The difference is in the '-sus' and '-sous.' For the first, push your lips forward like you're doing a 1930s cartoon kiss, and try to force the sound into the front part of the roof of your mouth, kind of in your nose.
For '-sous,' do the exact opposite: the lips need hardly move at all (which you'll find is quite uncommon in French). Push the sound into the back, lower part of your throat; lowering the pitch should help.
'-sus' should sound nasal; '-sous' should sound open.

You can also use "in up" = en haut and "in down" = en bas, which may be easier to pronounce.

So:
"Desolé, j'étais en haut" or "j'étais au-dessus" should do the trick!

I don't think they'll care what you say if you do that, though.