How different is German throughout each country?
Guten Tag! Hallo! Wie geht's?
Man kann auch sagen - Servus! Moin moin? Gruß Gott? Grüezi?
Whichever corner of German-speaking Europe you're bound for, there'll be another way of putting your points across. Various ways of saying different things depending on where you're from. There's local slang in the UK. Why, a bap in Scotland is a roll in the Home Counties! An Oggie in the south-west of England is a tea cake in Yorkshire. As you can imagine, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Leichtenstein and Belgium are all different countries with unique ways of doing things. So depending on where you're jetting off to, whether that's for work or for leisure, it might be of benefit to you to learn some of the local customs.
And the language, of course.
Before we delve any deeper, let me just remind you that if you can grasp Standard German, then you shouldn't have any major issues with the German spoken in Switzerland. Some of the terminologies differ, but throughout the German-speaking world, there shouldn’t be too many problems grasping both sides.
Austrian singer Chris Steger. Image from Spotify.
I discovered Chris Steger, pictured above, during lockdown. I realised he was Austrian based on some research. What I didn't predict whilst listening to Leb dein Leb'n was the huge difference between Germany's German and Austria's German. It sounds like a whole new language! His music is energetic and well worth listening to!
The same could be said when I saw the Swiss film Der Verdingbub.
I bought the blu-ray for this film in 2023. Truth be told, this was painful to watch. A story about a young lad who finds himself at the hands of abusive foster parents was hard-hitting. Nonetheless, the German spoken during this film was remarkably different compared to films made in Germany. It may have been based on the time the film was set in. But it was a localised version of German. Subtitles helped, but without those, I would have been lost.
So, how does German differ throughout each country?
Firstly, there is regional dialects wihin different parts of Germany. The German you would usually learn in a classroom setting is known as Hochdeutsch or Standarddeutsch. Similar to King's English, Hochdeutsch is the standard German used to learn the language, the dialect used by national broadcasters and in written language. It's the form of German which everyone can understand. No matter which of the German-speaking countries you are from, Hochdeutsch is everywhere.
Österreichisches Deutsch is known to be the same as Hochdeutsch with a few key differences. For example, Hackfleisch, which is translated to ground beef in English, is known as Faschiertes in Austrian German. Sackerl is the Austrian German for bag, Rauchfang for chimney, and Stiege for stairs is just another example. The standard German of these words are also used in Austria, and it's closer to the German spoken in Bavaria.
Here are a few examples of some Austrian German phrases.
Leiwand Cool, great
Erdapfel Potato, whereas in standard German this would be Kartoffel
Topfen curd cheese
Marille apricot, which is Aprikose in standard German
Heuriger wine tavern, Weinstube in standard German
Obers cream, Sahne in standard German
Eierschwammerl Chanterelle mushrooms, Pfifferlinge in standard German.
Palatschinken Pancake, Pfannkuchen in standard German
Sackerl bag, Tasche in standard German
Schweizerdeutsch is a completely different dialect altogether, and it is worth noting that the Swiss variety of German does share similarities to Hochdeutsch, meaning it can be grouped within the German language as a whole. It's also worth noting that, in Switzerland, French, Italian and Romansch are recognised languages in the country.
In Switzerland, you may have heard Schweitzerdütch is another variant of the German spoken in the country. Don't you fear. This is just a pronunciation of Schweitzerdeutsch. That doesn't mean to say that there aren't regional differences.
Grüezi, for example, which is an informal way of greeting someone. The formal version of this would be Ich grüsse Sie. Similarly in Switzerland, Adie is the Swiss German for Tschüss.
And Ëxgüsi is, interestingly, taken from the French word Excusez, meaning…Entschuldigung. Swiss German includes some influence from French, with both languages being recognised in the country.
Let's have a look at some other variations. These are some basic Swiss German phrases. There are some remarkable differences, aren't there?
Froit mi. // Freut mich. Pleased to meet you.
Wie gaats dir? // Wie geht es dir? How are you?
Uf Widerluege // Auf Wiedersehen Goodbye
Merci Vilmal. // Vielen dank. Thanks a lot.
Proscht! // Prost! Cheers!
Chunsch druus? // Verstehst du? Got it? // Do you understand?
Poulet // Hühnchen Chicken
Go poste // Einkaufen gehen to go shopping (Ich gang go poschte in Standarddeutsch means Ich gehe einkaufen)
Z'Morge // Fruhstuck Breakfast
Z'Mittag // Mittagessen Lunch
Z'Nacht // Abendessen Dinner
En Guete. // Guten Appetit. Have a good meal.
Chuntsch? // Kommst du? Are you coming?
Es schmöckt heure komisch. // Es riecht voll komisch. It smells very strange.
Chasch mer öppis helfe? // Kannst du mir mit etwas helfen? Can you help me with something?
Finally, I'll leave you with this special phrase. I've decided not to share this in standard German as it is unique for when you visit Switzerland.
I würdi gern e Schwiizer Spezialität probiere. I would like to try a Swiss speciality.
On a final note, no matter which part of the German-speaking world you intend to travel to, I'm sure you will be immensely appreciated for learning the localised dialect. There are a number of apps and resources out there, which are all designed to support you in your learning. However, if you are struggling and would prefer to use Standarddeutsch, then you don't need to worry. You will be greatly understood.
Learning a language like German is such a rewarding experience, made even more so by learning how things are said in different areas of the world. As always, thank you for taking the time to learn German through my blog. I look forward to seeing you again next time.
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