29
votes
Accepted
Reading a Swiss newspaper as a German learner
Yes, you will. Not only in the Swiss dialects, but also in written Swiss standard German (as used in the press), word and expression usage can differ so significantly that even a native German speaker ...
- 2,085
19
votes
Accepted
What does the word "wähh" mean?
"Wäh", or "wähh" or similar is a colloquial term for expressing disgust. The talker means that the fish looks disgusting.
- 3,486
19
votes
Accepted
Does "Natel" mean the same thing as "Handy" (cell phone) in German?
Yes, it is used that way in Switzerland. Note that you will most likely not be understood if you use the word outside of Switzerland. It is a Swiss Standard German word (cf. Duden | Natel).
The origin ...
- 24.9k
18
votes
Reading a Swiss newspaper as a German learner
You will encounter vocabulary that isn't widely understood in Germany or Austria. But it's the same the other way.
German speakers have to live with that. The worst thing which could happen is that ...
- 55.7k
15
votes
Accepted
What is the correct way to say “and the last is“?
The expression the last is, or in German der/ die/ das letzte ist, is an elliptical expression, in which the noun was omitted. Therefore, the question is: The last what? And depending on the noun that ...
- 22.3k
12
votes
Reading a Swiss newspaper as a German learner
Reading a Swiss or Austrian newspaper will increase the likelihood of encountering constructions that may be rejected by Germans as not conforming to the standard.
For instance, note the position of ...
- 24.9k
12
votes
Accepted
What means my car's displayed diagnosis "GETRIEBEÖL WECHS NÄCHSTE WART."?
"GETRIEBEÖL WECHS" is probably "Getriebeöl wechseln" (Change the gearbox oil) and "NÄCHSTE WART." is probably "Nächste Wartung" (next maintenance).
For me it sounds like it it not urgent, but that ...
- 8,527
10
votes
What does the word "wähh" mean?
The word wäh (not bäh or uäh, but wäh) is an interjection for expressing disgust. Like all interjections, it is colloquial to a certain degree. Nonetheless, it is a well attested word with a specific ...
- 6,909
9
votes
Why always am Ende and not im Ende?
"Am Ende" is a fixed combination which corresponds to the English "at the end". In English one also uses "in the end" (perhaps this is the reason for your question), but ...
9
votes
Accepted
Aren't «...» quotation marks more of a German thing than they are Swiss?
«...» is typically considered Swiss German or French style by origin. Irrespective the origin and where whatever style is common, any single medium or publisher may choose to use whatever they like as ...
- 9,224
8
votes
Numbers in Swiss-German dialects
The typical Swiss German forms are not zwöü and drü as opposed to Standard German zwei and drei. Instead, Swiss German dialects typically differentiate between drü and drei, whereas there is regional ...
- 6,909
8
votes
What does "5 Jugendliche im Ausgang" mean?
The expression «5 Jugendliche im Ausgang» means ‘5 youth going out socially’.
The expression «in den Ausgang gehen» is Swiss Standard German for ‘going out socially’. It is a clear helvetism, which ...
- 6,909
8
votes
What word do Germans use for recharge?
In German, there is no need to distinguish the scenarios: Aufladen works for charging the battery as well as well as transferring money for future use, like a prepaid SIM or a prepaid debit card.
Only ...
- 27.3k
7
votes
What does the word "wähh" mean?
The forms bäh, uäh are interjections expressing disgust, in this case transcribed as wähh*. Duden has bäh: Ausruf des Ekels.
* One feature that distinguishes interjections from normal words is that ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Why do the Swiss pronounce Schweiz "Schweez"?
The main source for this answer is the Historical Dictionary of Switzerland.
The original name of Switzerland is probably derived from the name of one of the cantons taking part in the legendary "...
- 86
7
votes
What word do Germans use for recharge?
I would use both aufladen (to charge) or wieder aufladen (to recharge) in both senses, Akku (battery) and Konto (account). I would also use both charge and recharge in both senses in English.
I can't ...
- 24.9k
7
votes
Accepted
Is the word "isch" only Swiss-German?
Speaking "ist" as "isch" is neither slang nor specific to Swiss German - It is the common way how Alemannic (rather: "westoberdeutsch") dialects that roughly range from ...
- 61.9k
6
votes
Was ist »Schweizerdeutsch«?
Wenn man entsprechende Publikationen aus der Schweiz liest, fällt auf, dass dort, wenn von "Schweizerdeutsch" geredet wird, die Mundart oder der Dialekt gemeint ist. Standardprache wird als "...
- 70k
6
votes
Reading a Swiss newspaper as a German learner
I really like to read Newspapers in German and English. My general experience is that the differences between Austrian Standard German, Federal German Standard German, and Swiss Standard German are ...
- 171
6
votes
Accepted
Length of vowels before ‘ss’ in Swiss standard German
Thankfully, Swiss Radio and Television (Schweizer Radio und Fernsehen, SRF) have audio and video news available online. These news broadcasts are often spoken in Swiss standard German rather than in ...
- 38.4k
6
votes
What is the correct way to say “and the last is“?
That can be said in different ways. I would prefer "1, 2, 3... and finally 100".
1, 2, 3 ... und zum Schluss 100
But you can also say:
1, 2, 3 … und abschließend 100
or
1, 2, 3 … und ...
- 2,210
6
votes
Accepted
How come bold part of the sentence is subject?
If Personalchefs were the subject, the verb would have to be in plural, because Personalchefs is plural.
Also, if the bold part were accusative, it would have to be einen Berufs- oder Personalwechsel, ...
- 15.1k
5
votes
How to use these similar meaning words gilten, anwenden, and auftragen?
"gilten" is not a German word. The only remotely similar word is "gilt", which is one specific form of the verb "gelten", but that verb doesn't apply here.
As for the ...
- 14.7k
5
votes
Accepted
What is the meaning of the verb ‘betreiben’ in a renting application?
This is Swiss German. If you owe money to someone (let's say to a bank), and you failed to pay, then the creditor (here: the bank) can call a lawyer to recover the money.
In all regions you can ...
- 120k
5
votes
Accepted
Why do people in central Switzerland say "Grüzach" instead of Grüezi?
Edit Updated answer, to remove the obviously wrong reference pointed out in the other answer.
Janka has given the correct hint: It's actually Grüss Euch, which is pronounced short as Grüssech. In some ...
- 3,486
4
votes
Why was ⟨ß⟩ discontinued in Switzerland?
«Erschwerung des Unterrichts»
Dank Wikipedia bin ich auf einen Bericht aus der NZZ vom 20. November 1938 gestossen, wo über die «Abschaffung des Schleifen-S in der Schule» berichtet wird. Darin wird ...
- 6,909
4
votes
Why was ⟨ß⟩ discontinued in Switzerland?
I think that there does not exist a really convincing explanation.
In point 3. you refer to Peter Gallmann who is a Swiss linguist and a long-standing professor for "Deutsche Sprache der Gegenwart" ...
- 10.2k
4
votes
Adapt to Austrian grammar and spelling as Swiss expat
German is not my mother tongue, so I can't really answer about specifics of things like ß vs. ss and um 5 Euro vs. für 5 Euro. Nonetheless, I see the underlying situation as being not so different ...
- 213
4
votes
Accepted
Adapt to Austrian grammar and spelling as Swiss expat
Ich antworte auf Deutsch, weil ich davon ausgehe, dass das deine Muttersprache ist.
ss - ß
Die Entscheidung, ob das scharfe S durch ein Doppel-S ersetzt werden darf, hat nichts mit Grammatik zu tun. ...
- 120k
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