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. Hello, greetings and goodbyes
How Swiss people say hello, goodbye, and see-you-later. The polite hello is "Grüezi" in Zürich and "Grüessech" in Bern; "Hoi" is the casual hi in both.
| Meaning | Zürich (ZH) | Bern (BE) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| hello (formal) | Grüezi | Grüessech | In Zürich German you say "Grüezi" for "hello (formal)"; in Bern German, "Grüessech". |
| hi / hi everyone | Hoi / Hoi zäme | Hoi / Hoi zäme | "Hoi / Hoi zäme" means "hi / hi everyone" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| good morning | Guete Morge | Guete Morge | "Guete Morge" means "good morning" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| good day | Guete Tag | Guete Tag | "Guete Tag" means "good day" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| good evening | Guete Abig | Guete-n-Abe | In Zürich German you say "Guete Abig" for "good evening"; in Bern German, "Guete-n-Abe". |
| have a nice day | En schöne Tag | E schöne Tag | In Zürich German you say "En schöne Tag" for "have a nice day"; in Bern German, "E schöne Tag". |
| goodbye | Uf Wiederluege | Uf Widerluege | In Zürich German you say "Uf Wiederluege" for "goodbye"; in Bern German, "Uf Widerluege". |
| bye (casual) | Tschau | Tschou | In Zürich German you say "Tschau" for "bye (casual)"; in Bern German, "Tschou". |
| see you soon | Bis bald | Bis gly | In Zürich German you say "Bis bald" for "see you soon"; in Bern German, "Bis gly". |
| see you later | Bis spööter | Bis später | In Zürich German you say "Bis spööter" for "see you later"; in Bern German, "Bis später". |
| see you tomorrow | Bis moorn | Bis morn | In Zürich German you say "Bis moorn" for "see you tomorrow"; in Bern German, "Bis morn". |
2. Please, thank you and sorry
The everyday courtesy words — many borrowed from French.
| Meaning | Zürich (ZH) | Bern (BE) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| thanks | Merci | Merci | "Merci" means "thanks" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| thank you very much | Merci vielmal | Merci viumau | In Zürich German you say "Merci vielmal" for "thank you very much"; in Bern German, "Merci viumau". |
| please / you're welcome | Bitte | Bitte | "Bitte" means "please / you're welcome" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| you're welcome | Gärn gscheh | Gärn gscheh | "Gärn gscheh" means "you're welcome" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| excuse me / sorry | Exgüsi | Exgüse | In Zürich German you say "Exgüsi" for "excuse me / sorry"; in Bern German, "Exgüse". |
| I'm sorry | Es tuet mir leid | Es tuet mir leid | "Es tuet mir leid" means "I'm sorry" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| no problem | Keis Problem | Keis Problem | "Keis Problem" means "no problem" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
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 | In Zürich German you say "Ich verstah nöd" for "I don't understand"; in Bern German, "I verstah nid". |
| I understand | Ich verstah | I verstah | In Zürich German you say "Ich verstah" for "I understand"; in Bern German, "I verstah". |
| I don't know | Ich weiss nöd | I weiss nid | In Zürich German you say "Ich weiss nöd" for "I don't know"; in Bern German, "I weiss nid". |
| how are you? | Wie gaht's | Wie geit's | In Zürich German you say "Wie gaht's" for "how are you?"; in Bern German, "Wie geit's". |
| I'm well | Mir gaht's guet | Mir geit's guet | In Zürich German you say "Mir gaht's guet" for "I'm well"; in Bern German, "Mir geit's guet". |
| I would like | Ich wett | I wett | In Zürich German you say "Ich wett" for "I would like"; in Bern German, "I wett". |
| what does that cost? | Was chostet das | Was choschtet das | In Zürich German you say "Was chostet das" for "what does that cost?"; in Bern German, "Was choschtet das". |
| where is | Wo isch | Wo isch | "Wo isch" means "where is" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
What does "Ich verstah nöd" mean?
"Ich verstah nöd" means "I don't understand." It is the Zürich (Züridütsch) form; in Bern (Bärndütsch) it is "I verstah nid". Swissli teaches both dialect forms so you recognise the phrase whichever canton you are in.
Locals say it fast, so it can sound like a single word. Use it to ask someone to slow down or repeat — not as a cue to switch to English. The full everyday list below gives the Zürich and Bern form of every phrase.
4. 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 | "eis" means "one" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| two | zwei | zwöi | In Zürich German you say "zwei" for "two"; in Bern German, "zwöi". |
| three | drü | drü | "drü" means "three" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| four | vier | vier | "vier" means "four" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| five | foif | füf | In Zürich German you say "foif" for "five"; in Bern German, "füf". |
| six | sächs | sächs | "sächs" means "six" — the same in Zürich and Bern German. |
| seven | siebe | sibe | In Zürich German you say "siebe" for "seven"; in Bern German, "sibe". |
Frequently asked questions
What does "Ich verstah nöd" mean?
"Ich verstah nöd" means "I don't understand." It is the Zürich (Züridütsch) form; in Bern (Bärndütsch) it is "I verstah nid". Swissli teaches both dialect forms so you recognise the phrase whichever canton you are in.
Is Swiss German the same everywhere?
No. Swiss German is a group of dialects, not one language. The two you'll meet in Swissli 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.
How do you say thank you in Swiss German?
Say "Merci" in both Zürich and Bern German. For "thank you very much" it is "Merci vielmal" in Zürich and "Merci viumau" in Bern.
How do you say please in Swiss German?
Say "Bitte". It is the same word in Zürich and Bern German.
How do you say sorry in Swiss German?
To say "excuse me" or a quick "sorry", use "Exgüsi" in Zürich and "Exgüse" in Bern.
How do you say good morning and good evening in Swiss German?
"Guete Morge" means "good morning" in both Zürich and Bern German. "Good evening" is "Guete Abig" in Zürich and "Guete-n-Abe" in Bern.
How do you say hello in Swiss German?
The polite hello is "Grüezi" in Zürich and "Grüessech" in Bern. Use it with anyone you would address as "Sie". Among friends, "Hoi" works in both; Zürich also says "Salü" and Bern says "Sälü". To greet a group, say "Grüezi mitenand" in Zürich, "Grüessech mitenand" in Bern, or "Hoi zäme" in both.
How do you say how are you in Swiss German?
Ask "Wie gaht's?" in Zürich and "Wie geit's?" in Bern. To ask a friend directly, Zürich German says "Wie gaht's dir?".
How do you say goodbye in Swiss German?
The polite goodbye is "Uf Wiederluege" in Zürich and "Uf Widerluege" in Bern. The Zürich form has an extra "-e-".
How do you say welcome in Swiss German?
To welcome someone who has just arrived, say "Willkomme". It is the same in Zürich and Bern German. For a warmer welcome, a host says "Herzlich willkomme" in Zürich and "Härzlech willkomme" in Bern.
Learn these phrases with Swissli
Swissli teaches these phrases with audio in both Zürich and Bern dialect. Download it now.