Swiss German Phrasebook — the phrases people really use
Standard German gets you reading signs; Swiss German (Schwiizerdütsch) is what people actually speak in Zürich's shops and Bern's offices. This phrasebook gives you the everyday phrases with both main dialect forms — Zürich (Züridütsch) and Bern (Bärndütsch) — and what each one means in plain English. Every form here comes from Swissli's own course material, not machine translation.
1. Greetings and goodbyes
How Swiss people say hello, goodbye, and see-you-later.
| Meaning | Zürich (ZH) | Bern (BE) |
|---|---|---|
| hello (formal) | Grüezi | Grüessech |
| hi / hi everyone | Hoi / Hoi zäme | Hoi / Hoi zäme |
| good morning | Guete Morge | Guete Morge |
| good day | Guete Tag | Guete Tag |
| good evening | Guete Abig | Gueten Abe |
| goodbye | Uf Widerluege | Uf Widerluege |
| bye (casual) | Tschau | Tschau |
| see you soon | Bis bald | Bis gly |
| see you later | Bis spööter | Bis später |
| see you tomorrow | Bis moorn | Bis morn |
2. Please, thank you and sorry
The everyday courtesy words — many borrowed from French.
| Meaning | Zürich (ZH) | Bern (BE) |
|---|---|---|
| thanks | Merci | Merci |
| thank you very much | Merci vilmal | Merci vilmal |
| please / you're welcome | Bitte | Bitte |
| you're welcome | Gärn gscheh | Gärn gscheh |
| excuse me / sorry | Exgüsi | Exgüsi |
| I'm sorry | Es tuet mer leid | Es tuet mer leid |
| no problem | Keis Problem | Keis Problem |
3. Saying you don't understand
The single most useful phrase for a newcomer: "Ich verstah nöd" (Zürich) / "I verstah nid" (Bern).
| Meaning | Zürich (ZH) | Bern (BE) |
|---|---|---|
| I don't understand | Ich verstah nöd | I verstah nid |
| I understand | Ich verstah | I verstah |
| I don't know | Ich weiss nöd | I weiss nid |
| how are you? | Wie gaht's | Wie geit's |
| I'm well | Mir gaht's guet | Mir geit's guet |
| I would like | Ich wett | I wett |
| what does that cost? | Was chostet das | Was chostet das |
| where is | Wo isch | Wo isch |
4. How are you and small talk
"Wie gaht's" in Zürich, "Wie geit's" in Bern — see the previous table for the exact forms and answers.
5. Numbers one to seven
Small differences you hear at the till, at the doctor, or when someone counts.
| Meaning | Zürich (ZH) | Bern (BE) |
|---|---|---|
| one | eis | eis |
| two | zwei | zwöi |
| three | drü | drü |
| four | vier | vier |
| five | foif | füf |
| six | sächs | sächs |
| seven | siebe | sibe |
Frequently asked questions
Is Swiss German the same everywhere?
No. Swiss German is a group of dialects, not one language. The two you'll meet most are Zürich German (Züridütsch) and Bern German (Bärndütsch). Many words are shared, but some differ — "not" is "nöd" in Zürich and "nid" in Bern, and "how are you" is "Wie gaht's" in Zürich but "Wie geit's" in Bern.
Is Swiss German written down?
Rarely in daily life — Swiss people write in High German and speak in dialect. When Swiss German is written there is no single official spelling; Swissli uses the established Dieth spelling so forms stay consistent and readable.
Which dialect should I learn first?
Learn the dialect of where you live. If that's Zürich or the northeast, start with Züridütsch; if it's Bern or the Mittelland, start with Bärndütsch. The grammar is close enough that switching later is easy.
Learn these phrases with Swissli
Swissli teaches these phrases with audio in both Zürich and Bern dialect. Join the waitlist — launching summer 2026.