The ultimate guide to learn Swiss German: success guaranteed

You have moved to Switzerland and are now confronted with the local dialect, Swiss German. That is no reason to panic. Swiss German may sound difficult at first, but understanding and even speaking it can be learned and is not a mission impossible!

Requirements

Of course it would be easier if you were German and already spoke High German. But don’t use the fact that you are an English speaking native as an excuse, to not want to learn Swiss German. You would miss out on a lot! You can either start studying High German first, and then move on to the Swiss dialect. Or, you start with Swiss German directly.

Which dialects are easy to learn?

Now Switzerland fascinates with its diverse dialects. But if you want to learn Swiss German, then this diversity doesn’t make it necessarily easy for you. There are definitely dialects that are easier to learn than others. The easier ones include the Zurich dialect, the Aargau dialect and perhaps the St Gallen and Schaffhausen dialects. They sound relatively “bright” and clear and the vocabulary is a bit similar to High German. To learn a dialect really well, it is advisable to stay in the same canton for a few years until you are really familiar with it. If you move around Switzerland all the time, it will be a lot more difficult for you to pick up one dialect properly.

Which dialects cause headaches?

The Solothurn and Bernese dialects are rather “darker” Swiss dialects and difficult to learn. Even more difficult is the “Baaseldiiitsch”. And it is almost impossible with the dialects of the high mountains, the so-called “Höchstalemannisch”. Central Swiss, Bernese Oberland and Valais dialects are among them. Difficult pronunciation, intonation and a very specific vocabulary make it extremely difficult even for the Swiss to understand these dialects. So unless you are forced to live in one of those regions due to your work, we advice you stick around the cantons with the “easy to learn dialects”. Once you are an expert for those, you may move on to the next level and start learning “Berndütsch”.

What type of learner are you?

There are different types of learners. And to learn a language it is helpful to know which type of learner you are in order to find the right way for you to learn Swiss German.

Learn type	Characteristics
Visual type	graphics, diagrams and other material help you to understand and memorize your notes are full of sketches or symbols strong visual language makes it easier for you to follow a presentation
Auditive type	you have no problems listening attentively, even over a long time your notes are rather short, because you concentrate on listening you formulate sentences in your head exactly before you put them on paper
Communicative type	you prefer small learning groups in which you can participate actively in conversations and discussions you have no problems holding lectures and presentations conversations and argumentations help you to remember what you have learnt
Haptic type	practical experience is irreplaceable for you and you just have to do things yourself hands play an important role in your learning process you can better retrieve knowledge with the help of processes, experiences and concrete situations

Learn-swiss-german.ch offers learning for all types of learners

We are proud to announce that learn-swiss-german.ch has become the #1 language school in Switzerland to learn the dialect.

No matter what type of learner you are, our diverse learning methods cover almost everything. Our over 50 learning videos address both visual and auditory learning types. Are you rather the communicative type? Then you will feel at home in our community, where our qualified language teachers can answer all your questions and exchange ideas with your classmates.

The largest Swiss-German dictionary

In addition to our over 50 learning videos, you will also have access to the largest Swiss German dictionary with over 20,000 words. No matter which word you want to look up, go on our website and enter it conveniently in our search mask and receive the Swiss German translation. We guarantee you will improve your Swiss German vocabulary drastically.

Learning on the go with our app

Since we all have very little time and are constantly on the move, we want to be able to learn when and where we want. That’s why there is an app for you with which you conveniently can learn where ever you are. On the app you find the entire dictionary, all blog articles and, as a bonus, over 300 sentences for everyday use, arranged according to various categories. So you quickly find what you are lookin for. As for now, the app is only available for Android phones.

Learning with Facebook

I bet you’re on Facebook every day. So are we. There we regularly post interesting facts and stories about Switzerland, but also the Swiss-German translation of English words. So you can increase your vocabulary in a playful and fun way.

Sign up today

Have we convinced you? Then become part of our learning community today and sign up for our online course. The fun only costs you CHF 118.00 and guarantees you to learn Swiss German in only 4 weeks. We are looking forward to seeing you!