{"id":5777,"date":"2020-11-22T19:08:35","date_gmt":"2020-11-22T19:08:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.inlingua-zuerich.ch\/?p=5777"},"modified":"2024-07-29T14:15:00","modified_gmt":"2024-07-29T14:15:00","slug":"hoi-zueri-10-typical-phrases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.inlingua-zuerich.ch\/en\/hoi-zueri-10-typical-phrases\/","title":{"rendered":"“Hoi Z\u00fcri”\u2013 10 typical phrases"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"sheep<\/p>\n

For learners of German, as well as our neighbours from the \u201cbig canton\u201d of Germany, it can be difficult to navigate Zurich as newcomers. The local language plays a major part in this, because in Zurich, as in all other German-speaking regions in Switzerland, a dialect of Swiss German is spoken.<\/p>\n

But no reason to panic! This dialect is not the official written language, which is Standard German. Nevertheless, if you live in Zurich you will be confronted with Swiss-German very often, which is why it is worth taking a closer look at some of the special features of the Zurich dialect:<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1. “Gr\u00fcezi”<\/h4>\n

(Greeting)<\/p>\n

A simple \u201cGr\u00fcezi\u201d is the universal greeting in Switzerland. It is derived from the polite (and outdated) form \u201cIch gr\u00fcsse Sie.\u201d Like this older form, \u201cGr\u00fcezi\u201d is only used in a context, in which people do not know each other and wish to use the polite form of address.<\/p>\n

2. “H\u00e4tted Sie gern es S\u00e4ckli?”<\/h4>\n

(Would you like a bag?)<\/p>\n

A question you will often hear at the checkout of a supermarket. The word \u201cS\u00e4ckli\u201d is the diminutive of the German \u201cSack,\u201d meaning \u201cbag,\u201d usually meaning one made of plastic.<\/p>\n

3. “Imfall…”<\/h4>\n

(By the way… \/ Watch out…)<\/p>\n

This expression is slightly misleading, as it resembles the German \u201cIm Fall,\u201d which means \u201cin case.\u201d In Swiss German, however it is used to accentuate either the beginning of a sentence or the end of a sentence, or to emphasize a particular phrase. And more often than not, it is used as a filler word without any particular meaning.<\/p>\n

4. “Ich trinke nur Hahnewasser”<\/h4>\n

(I only drink tap water)<\/p>\n

If you are not prepared to pay 5 francs for water, you can ask for tap water. While the word \u201cHahn\u201d means \u201ccockerel\u201d in German, it is also the word for \u201ctap\u201d. But watch out, some places may even charge for tap water\u2026<\/p>\n

5. So en freche Cheib!<\/h4>\n

(What a cheeky guy!)<\/p>\n

As polite as they may be, when the people of Zurich are annoyed, they know how to curse. The derogative word \u201cCheib\u201d is derived from the old German word \u201cKeib,\u201d which is still used in the South of Germany and is itself a derivate of the form \u201cKerl\u201d \u2013 which means \u201cguy.\u201d<\/p>\n

6. “Das isch no g\u00e4big.”<\/h4>\n

(That is quite practical)<\/p>\n

The adjective \u201cg\u00e4big\u201d describes all things that serve a useful and practical purpose; a Swiss Army Knife is a prime example of something “g\u00e4big”.<\/p>\n

7. “N\u00f6d scho wieder chr\u00f6\u00f6mle!”<\/h4>\n

(Do not buy something again!)<\/p>\n

The word “chr\u00f6\u00f6mle” will bring back childhood memories for many a Swiss person. It does not simply mean \u201cto buy something,\u201d, but evokes a more precise concept: buying sweets or other small items at the corner shop with the little pocket money that you have as a child.<\/p>\n

8. “Ich han kei St\u00fctz.”<\/h4>\n

(I don\u2019t have any money)<\/p>\n

A “Stutz” denotes one unit of the Swiss currency, a franc. Although it is rarely true, the people of Zurich use this expression frequently. It is also used in different contexts: Homeless people may ask “Hesch mir en Stutz? (= Do you have a franc for me?) which may in turn annoy a few people (\u201cfreche Siech!\u201d \u2013 cheeky guy!).<\/p>\n

9. “G\u00f6mmer id Badi?”<\/h4>\n

(Let’s go to the (outdoor) swimming pool)<\/p>\n

In the summer, the public outdoor swimming pools are very popular in Switzerland. As you visit them to swim \u2013 in German \u201cbaden\u201d \u2013 they are called \u201cBadi\u201d in Swiss German.<\/p>\n

10. “Merci, adie!”<\/h4>\n

(Thanks, bye)<\/p>\n

A common way to say goodbye is “Adie”, which, unlike the French \u201cAdieu\u201d, does not mean “to God,\u201d and thus “never to be seen again,” but is simply the polite way of saying “goodbye.\u201d And since Swiss German employs many loanwords originating from French, “merci” is a common way of saying thank you.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Speaking of French, why not take a French course<\/a> at inlingua? You\u2019ll soon recognise some of the loanwords used in Swiss German!<\/p>\n

If you are interested in other language courses in the centre of Zurich, you can visit the inlingua website<\/a>, where you will find our wide range of courses<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

For learners of German, as well as our neighbours from the \u201cbig canton\u201d of Germany, it can be difficult to navigate Zurich as newcomers. The local language plays a major part in this, because in Zurich, as in all other German-speaking regions in Switzerland, a dialect of Swiss German is spoken. But no reason to […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[176,175,174,177],"class_list":["post-5777","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-grueezi","tag-schweizerdeutsch","tag-swiss-german","tag-zurich-dialect"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n"Hoi Z\u00fcri"\u2013 10 typical phrases - Sprachschule inlingua Z\u00fcrich<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.inlingua-zuerich.ch\/en\/hoi-zueri-10-typical-phrases\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\""Hoi Z\u00fcri"\u2013 10 typical phrases - Sprachschule inlingua Z\u00fcrich\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"For learners of German, as well as our neighbours from the \u201cbig canton\u201d of Germany, it can be difficult to navigate Zurich as newcomers. 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