Swiss-German phrasebook

Swiss-German (Schweizerdeutsch in Standard German; some endonyms are Schwyzerdütsch, Schwiizertüütsch or Schwizertitsch) is a broad category of Germanic dialects spoken in Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

These dialects are considerably different from German, especially as it happens in regard to those very phrases which a traveler needs: niceties, greetings, asking for stuff, getting directions, etc. One of the key differences to getting by with Swiss German. For example, "Fine, thank you" is Guet, merci; with guet being the German word for good/fine, while merci is from the French "thank you". In addition, there are many pronunciation differences which separate Swiss-German from either language. For example, the diphthong in Swiss-German "guet" versus the monophthong in High-German "gut".

You are unlikely to have to learn Swiss-German, as all German-speaking Swiss educated in modern-day schools are also able to speak standard German. Nevertheless, saying a few words in Swiss-German will undoubtedly impress the locals.

Swiss German is different from Swiss Standard German (Schweizer Hochdeutsch), which is a variant of standard German for formal speech and writing in Switzerland, with some vocabulary differences, such as das Tram ("streetcar", Straßenbahn or die Tram in standard German) and Billett ("ticket", Fahrkarte, Fahrschein or Ticket in standard German).

Neither Swiss German nor Swiss Standard German use the Eszett (ß).

Pronunciation guide
Note that most of the following Swiss-German phrases and words are written as they would be pronounced by people living in the area around Bern, Basel, Zürich (i.e. in the canton of Bern, etc.). Whilst the Bernese dialect is widely understood in the Swiss-German part of Switzerland, it's by no means "official" Swiss-German (despite the fact that Bern is the Swiss capital). There is no standardized Swiss-German ("Schwyzerdüütsch"), and it is standard German that is an official language in Switzerland. Remarkably, the native dialects spoken in the many Swiss-German cantons are clearly distinguishable by locals (i.e. they can tell apart from the dialect in which canton somebody grew up). Speaking Swiss-German is common for all people living in the Swiss-German part of Switzerland, independent of age or education. For writing, standard German is mostly used, though the Swiss-German dialect is particularly popular in informal writing (e.g. in e-mail messages, SMS messages etc.). With ongoing globalization and immigration, mixing Swiss-German dialects with English (quite often even with pseudo English) or speaking so called "Jugo-Deutsch" (German pronounced as immigrants coming from the former Yugoslavia region tend to pronounce it) has also become trendy for youngsters.

For official signs and documents, standard German is used.

Vowels
The vowels in Swiss German are unlike the English vowels. They are closer to the German and Latin pronunciations.

Pronunciation Guide:


 * a - ah (as in saw)
 * e - eh (as in end)
 * i - e (as in eel)
 * o -oh (as in on)
 * u - oo (as in moose)

Basics

 * Hello/Hi (informal) : Hoi!
 * Hi, everyone! (informal) : Hoi zäme!
 * Hi (very informal) : Saluti! [salooti!] / Saletti!
 * Hello (formal) : Grüezi! [Grea-atsie] / Grüessech! [Grea-sec]
 * Hello, Ms./Mr. ... (formal): Grüezi/Grüessech Frau/Herr ...
 * Hello, everyone (formal) : Grüezi mitenand! [Grea-tsi metta-nònd] / Grüessech mitenang!: Hoi: Hi (informal)
 * Grüezi/Grüessech Frau/Herr: Hello (formal)
 * Guete Morge: Good morning (informal and formal)
 * Guete Abig/Abe: Good evening (informal and formal)
 * Schöne Hinicht/Abig: Have a pleasant evening (informal and formal)

Problems

 * i(ch) ha(n) mi(s) Portmonnaie verlore! : I lost my wallet! (ch, n, s = variants, depending on the dialect)
 * i(ch) fühl mi(ch) schlächt : I feel sick/not well/upset (ch = variant)
 * wo isch de Polizei Poschte? : where is the police station?
 * i(ch) mues öppis mälde : I have to/must report something (ch = variant)
 * Spital : Hospital
 * Hät's da es Spital i de Nöchi? : is there a hospital nearby?
 * i(ch) ha(n) mi(ch) velaufe/mer händ eus verlaufe : I/we am/are lost!! (ch, n = variant)
 * bitte säged sie mir wo.....isch? : Can you please tell me where.....is?
 * Bahnhof : train station
 * Taxi Stand : taxi station
 * Bank : Bank
 * Poscht : post office
 * Hotel " " :  the  "  " hotel
 * Chile : church
 * i(ch) bi(n) verliebt! : I'm in love
 * i(ch) liib di(ch)! : I love you!

Numbers

 * 1 : eis, äis, ais, eins
 * 2 : zwei, zwöi, zwai
 * 3 : drü, drai, drei
 * 4 : vier
 * 5 : foif, fföif, füüf, fünf
 * 6 : sächs, säggs
 * 7 : sibe, sebe, siebe
 * 8 : acht
 * 9 : nün
 * 10 : zäh, zehn
 * 11 : elf, euf
 * 12 : zwölf, zwöuf
 * 13 : drizäh
 * 14 : vierzäh
 * 15 : füfzäh
 * 16 : sächzäh
 * 17 : sibzäh
 * 18 : achzäh
 * 19 : nünzäh
 * 20 : zwänzg, zwanzig
 * 21 : einezwänzg, einezwanzig
 * 22 : zweiezwänzg, zweiezwanzig, zwöiezwänzg
 * 23 : drüezwänzg, dreiezwanzig
 * 24 : vierezwänzg, vierezwanzig
 * 25 : foifezwänzg, fünfezwanzig, füüfezwänzg
 * 26 : sächsezwänzg, säggsezwanzig
 * 27 : sibenezwänzg, siebenezwanzig
 * 28 : achtezwänzg, achtezwanzig
 * 29 : nünezwänzg, nünezwanzig
 * 30 : driss(i)g
 * 40 : vierz(i)g
 * 50 : füfzg, fuffzig
 * 60 : sächz(i)g
 * 70 : sibezg, siebzig
 * 80 : achtz(i)g
 * 90 : nünz(i)g
 * 100 : hundert
 * 101 : hundertundäis, hundertundeis
 * 102 : hundertzwöi

Clock time

 * time : Zit
 * What time is it? : Was isch für zit?
 * It is... : Es isch ...
 * one o'clock : eis
 * half past twelve : halbi eis
 * quarter to one : viertel vor eis
 * ten to one : zäh vor eis
 * quarter past one : virtel ab eis
 * ten past one : zäh ab eis
 * half past one : halbi zwoi

Duration
Wie lang gohts bis ... (How long does it take to...) Wie lang het me bis....?

Days
Mänti(g) Zyschti(g) Mittwuch Dunnschti(g) Fryti(g) Samschti(g) Sunnti(g)

Months

 * January : Januar
 * February : Februar
 * March : März, Merz
 * April : April
 * May : Mai
 * June : Juni
 * July : Juli
 * August : Auguscht
 * September : Septämber
 * October : Oktober
 * November : Novämber
 * December : Dezämber

Writing time and date

 * date : Datum
 * tenth of January, 2009 : zähte erste zwoitusignün

Colors

 * Red : rot
 * Blue : blau
 * Black : schwarz
 * Green : grüen
 * White : wiiss
 * Yellow : gäl(b)
 * Purple : violet
 * Orange : orange (orah-nsh)
 * Pink : rosa/pink
 * Gray : grau

Transportation

 * Motorcycle - Töff, Döff
 * Vespa, Motorbike - Töffli, Döffli, Mofa
 * Bicycle - Velo
 * Tram (Streetcar) - Tram, Drämmli

Bus, train, plane

 * Bus, car - bus
 * Reisecar - travel bus
 * Zug - train
 * Flugzüg, Flüüger - airplane

Directions

 * graad uus - straight ahead
 * links - left
 * rächts - right
 * vore, vorne - in front
 * vüre, vürschi, vorwärts - forwards
 * hinde, hinge - in the back
 * hindere, rückwärts, zrugg - backwards, back

Taxi

 * Zum Hotel ...... bitte! - to the ..... hotel please!
 * was koschtet's öppe nach .......? - How much does it cost to ....., approximately?
 * Flughafe - airport
 * Bahnhof - train station
 * Hotel .... - ..... hotel
 * i(ch) ha(n)'s pressant! - I'm in a hurry!
 * mir händ's pressant! - We are in a hurry!
 * Bitte pressiere! - Hurry, please!

Money

 * Gäld / Bargäld, Stutz (coll.), Stütz (coll.) : cash, money.
 * isch Bargäld ok? mit Bargäld bezahle? : can I pay with cash? pay with cash?
 * Was koschtet das? : how much is this/that?
 * Z'tüür! (Zu teuer) : Too expensive! (might be very offensive!)
 * Das isch mir e chli z'tüür : That seems to be rather expensive (more polite phrasing)
 * Hät's no billigeres? : Do you have something cheaper?
 * Chann i(ch) mit Kreditkarte zahle? : Can I use my Credit Card?
 * Trinkgäld (gäh) : Tip (Tipping)
 * I(ch) nimm das : I'll take/buy it (i pronounced like "e" in english)
 * I(ch) möcht öppis anders : I would like something else.
 * Händ si Souvenirs? : Do you have souvenirs?
 * Wo chan i(ch) Gäld wächsle? : Where can I change money?
 * Wo isch de nächscht Bankomat? : Where is the closest ATM?

Eating

 * En guete! : Enjoy your meal!
 * Schoggi : Chocolate
 * Proscht, Pröschtli, Prosit! : Cheers
 * Herdöpfel / Erdöpfel : Potato(es) (pronounced hadopfel / erdoplfel)(Erdöpfel would roughly translate to "earth apple" similar to the French Pom De Terre.)
 * Rüebli : Carrot(s)
 * Ä Stangä, es Chliises : A small glass of beer
 * En Chübel, es Grosses : A big glass of beer
 * Es Glas Wii : A glass of wine
 * Es Glas Rote (Wii) : A glass of red wine
 * Es Glas Wysse (Wii) : A glass of white wine
 * Oktobertee : wine (slang/coll.)
 * Chriesi : cherry/cherries
 * Chueche : pie
 * Gipfeli : croissant(s)
 * Milchkafi, Schale : cafe au lait
 * Kafi crème : coffee
 * Bier : beer
 * Suufe : to drink beer/alcohol...
 * Schwiizer Chääs : Swiss cheese
 * Röschti : mashed, fried potatoes (a Swiss speciality)
 * Fondue : Fondue (melted Swiss cheese in a bowl, a Swiss speciality, usually eaten during winter-time only)
 * Raclette : melted, roasted Swiss cheese (a Swiss speciality, usually eaten during winter-time only)
 * Züri-Gschnätzlets : Cut veal, often served with Röschti, speciality of Zurich
 * I(ch) würd(i) gern e Schwiizer Spezialität probiere : I'd like to taste a Swiss speciality
 * Was chönd Sie mir empfehle? : Can you recommend something?

Bars

 * e Schtange, es Chliises : A small glass of beer
 * en Chübel, es Grosses : A large glass of beer
 * en/es Aperitiv : a starter
 * Pröschtli!, zum Wohlsii! : Cheers!
 * Chueche, Cake, Flade : Cake

Shopping

 * Poschtä, iichaufe : Going shopping
 * Wieviel choschtet ...? : How much does ... cost?
 * Gits en Rabatt? Gits en Ermässigung? : Can you give me a discount?
 * Wo häts ...? : Where can I find ...?

Driving

 * Auto fahre : driving a car
 * Wo ane fahrt dä bus? : Where is this bus going to?
 * Fahruswiis : driving license
 * Verkehrsregle : traffic rules
 * Unfall : accident
 * Polizischt: police officer
 * Rechtsverkehr : right-hand traffic/driving (The driving style used in most of Europe, including Switzerland): Linksverkehr: Left-hand traffic/driving (The driving style used in the UK; avoid in Switzerland)

Other

 * Händ ihr de ... kaputt gmacht? : Did you destroy the ...?