Swiss German

• Greetings:   Hallo vs. Grueezi 

• Goodbye:    Tschuess vs. Ciao

• Thank you: Danke vs. Merci

• Bicycle:       Fahrrad vs. Vello

• Ice Cream:  Eis vs. Glace

Switzerland is made up of a mix of cultures. There is Swiss-German, Swiss-French, Swiss-Italian, and Romansch. In the Zurich region of Switzerland (the part of the country closest to Germany), Swiss-German is spoken. For a native English speaker who has a good grasp of German, for the first few days in Switzerland I had no idea what people were saying to me. As I spend more time here, the language becomes easier to understand but I still have moments where I'm frozen in confusion as someone speaks to me, like a teller at a cash register. Swiss German also utilizes a lot of French words and this is why many common German phrases are said in French instead.

Fortunately, most people here also know high German (official German language without influence from dialects) so I can communicate well with others. I've also been told multiple times that I speak German well, and that is probably one of the best compliments I've ever received, and I was once told by a nun that I should become an actress.

Overall however, I miss listening to Hessich German. I know that the longer I visit here the more I'll understand of Swiss German, but I don't think I'll have the same connection to it as I do with the German dialect I'm used to listening to from my family. But it's interesting to hear how two German dialects can be so different from each other despite deriving from the same language.

I'm still able to speak English though when German gets too frustrating for me. The family that I'm staying with all know English. The younger son usually speaks English with me. His brother mostly speaks German, unless I'm asking a question about something, then he'll answer me in English. Interestingly, the younger son usually speaks high German while his brother speaks mainly Swiss German, even though they both grew up in Switzerland (and were born here). Their parents, who grew up in Germany, speak High German but they have also picked up Swiss-German expressions.

I'll soon be visiting Austria, another country that speaks a specific German dialect. I'll let you know if there are any further differences between high German, Swiss German, and Austrian German!

Tschuess/Ciao!