The Swiss French call the Swiss Germans "les totos", from Teuton. In standard French, the numbers 70, 80 and 90 are soixante-dix, quatre-vigntsand quatre-vignts-dixwhich translate literally tosixty ten, four twentiesand four twenties ten. Moron. Unfortunately, her videos are only available with French subtitles. 13. Want to see French speakers try (and often fail hilariously) to imitate Swiss accents? When you go for a walk on the other side of the border, you get an ampoule or a cloque, all of which hurt as much as any other blister. Discover more French vocabulary articles on our learning French blog. Though you wont find any Belgian speakers, Belgium is home to a diverse bunch of national languages. Earlier this year a Swiss reporter for German-language Swiss public television, SRF, interviewed Jean-Stphane Bron, a Swiss film director from French-speaking Lausanne, about his latest documentary. Radio Television Suisse (RTS) is under the umbrella management of SRG SSR. Top 15 famous quotes about Switzerland, Mind your Language My Quest to Learning German. French slang. Oui, un vrai bobet ! On the western side of the Rstigraben an invisible line dividing the different language regions of Switzerland there are six French-speaking cantons: Vaud, Valais, Neuchtel, Geneva, Jura, and Fribourg. In Switzerland it is used as an informal general form of greeting when people meet or leave each other. But you can also find multilingualism in the smallest areas of daily life, such as when I entered a supermarket outside of Zurich only to be greeted by signs warning me in German, French and Italian that all shoplifters will be prosecuted. Dure bi rot ** - passed a red light. In Belgium and Switzerland, French speakers say, . caused by a linguistic misunderstanding. Let's go and have a beer after work. Then Check Out: Red Light District Tips! For anyone who has learned and relearned the French number system, I present your saving grace: Swiss French numbers! is quite different from that spoken in Geneva. (Dir hts) is hirni grgned/gschisse *** - It rained/someone shat into your brain. Altogether, I ended up with dozens of different words and phrases, some of which I was familiar with already, like natel (Swiss-French) vs. portable (French) for cell phone; or action (Swiss-French) vs. promotion (French) for special offer. Most people in Switzerland (about 70 percent) speak Swiss German, while about 7 percent speak Italian. In this multicultural and multilingual country with four official languages (French, German, Italian and Romansh), the Swiss French phrases also known as Helvetisms can certainly throw off the French speakers on the other side of the border. What are some other typical Swiss-French words and phrases? No no no, thankfully not. 16 Slangs in French You Need to Know. Have your say: What are the most important Swiss French words to know? Modern French expressions use a lot of Anglicisms. How do you think Swiss-French compares to French spoken in France? Sorry, it doesnt have anything to do with fondue! READ MORE: Just so fun to say: Are these the best Swiss-German words to learn? The most common slang for Have fun is sclater. This common, catch-all expression is used in the sense of a va or a marche, both as a question and a statement. But what it actually means there is no rush, no urgency. Tenir les pouces: Just like in Anglo countries, crossing fingers brings good luck in Suisse Romande. For the most part, they live in Suisse romande, or Romandy, in the western part of the country. The group combines Cajun and Zydeco influences to produce a funky rock fusion sound. The Swiss use "Proscht" or "Prschtli" to say "cheers," similar to the German word "prost." Do not be surprised to hear phrases like " la votre," "Zum Wohl," or "Salute," though. 12. Although a standard form of French is taught in schools and used in the government, the media and business, there is no uniform vernacular form of French among the different cantons of Switzerland. Download our free guide to French slang! Now he's become a passionate blogger and insatiable traveler, and he's particularly fascinated by the Russian-speaking world. The true translation of the word balle in French is bullet. +41 78 949 03 53. Nope! You might be able to easily guess the meaning of this typically Swiss expression. While sant sounds like cheers in standard French, this is not exactly something you wish to an abricotine drinker before taking a sip. Lets say you get the chance to be a participant on a show like Game of Switzerland (which sees four pairs complete a scavenger hunt through Switzerland in three days for the main prize of 30,000 Swiss francs) on the same night as your best friends birthday bash which youve been planning for weeks. I did okay in math at school, but learning a language is hard enough without having to do math, too! The fourth national language of Switzerland is Romansh, which is spoken by less than one percent of the populations living in a handful of remote valles (valleys) in the southeastern Alps. Casse couille 7. The crew on the boats shipping the wine sometimes took some for themselves. , youll find that every street sign is written in both French and German! Crazy person/you're crazy: De ht en egge ab *** - He'smissing a corner. The French language tookroot under the imposition of a French-influenced constitution in the early 19th century. pronounce certain vowels very differently than, (this is an easy one: pot!) Heres the cool thing: if you travel to officially-bilingual cities in Switzerland like. And if you dont know it yet or want to go straight to slang learning, weve got you covered with the English phonetic pronunciation. Well, that difference still exists between France and Switzerland. Fill in the form below and well contact you to discuss your learning options and answer any questions you may have. Its sticky!). Sure, its useful to know the basics like the French alphabet or how to say hello in French. Rough English Translation. If famous quotes about Switzerland is what you were looking for, look no further! The country proves an exciting challenge to the multilingual traveler as all four corners of the country can be explored in a variety of languages. Unsurprisingly, with only 37,000 speakers, this language is often overlooked by international travelers to Switzerland. Here are some common ways you can expect to see French words written in your text messages with French speakers: slt ( salut ), bjr ( bonjour) stp ( s'il te plat ), svp ( s'il vous plat) cad ( c'est--dire) A+ ( plus tard) pq ( pourquoi) wtu ( o es-tu) je t'm ( je t'aime) Or even more than one. Meal names have shifted in the French of France, where. Parisians and Quebecers might tell you that Swiss people speak French more slowly, but linguists have disproven this claim. Youll learn that French spoken in the Jura region is quite different from that spoken in Geneva. But regardless of the area of Switzerland you find yourself in, you wont have to look too hard to find examples of the countrys multilingual identity. do the pear tree). The phrase literally translates as to take something in the purchase. Casse-toi! Watch this French video! Please visit the help centre for more information, No, the chalet is not crazy. Time for a labored metaphor? Example: Je vais faire un petit clopet, ne me drange pas ! Ich zig wo d Bartli d moscht holt (I'll show you who's boss) 7. Switzerland recognizes four languages as so-called national languages, and while speakers of these languages can be found throughout the country, the four languages are largely confined to specific regions. Weve got you covered! While the main meals in standard French arepetit-djeuner (breakfast), djeuner (lunch) and dner (dinner), theyre understood in Swiss French asdjeuner (breakfast), dner (lunch) and super (dinner). Lli (Loser) 6. Heureusement, the International Phonetic Alphabet can help. Have questions? "J'ai un petit creux," doesn't mean you are so hungry you could eat a horse. How Many People Speak French in Switzerland Today? Bern, the seat of the de facto capital, is also bilingual, but with more German than French speakers. Every language community can access TV, films, books, music, etc. The French use quelle heure est-il? to ask what time it is, but the Swiss literally ask, At what time are we living?. From the answers we received, several respondents mentioned the numbers. Privacy In other countries, dialects are often looked down upon and even discouraged, but in Switzerland these dialects are cherished and promoted, with their use being found across all levels of society. Canadian slang deserves a whole article, but here are a few expressions and words to get you started. a joue! Heres the cool thing: if you travel to officially-bilingual cities in Switzerland like Fribourg, youll find that every street sign is written in both French and German! Swiss French has its own accent, vocabulary and expressions, which differ from French spoken in neighboring France. Alain Tanner, a Swiss film director, has made over 40 Swiss French films. Example: Regarde-le, celui-l ! Lets just say it doesnt make any more sense than the standard French expression faire le poirier (lit. Perhaps to the benefit of its current long-term stability and progress, Switzerland remained neutral during this time. Arnaud is a real language addict. [email protected] The fact that its speakers tend to hail from the more remote, mountainous parts of southeastern Switzerland explains in part why this language has survived into the 21st Century, in spite of the significant encroachment of Italian and German into traditional Romansh-speaking areas. Youll learn that French spoken in the. Meals. In this multicultural and multilingual country with four official languages (French, German, Italian and Romansh), the Swiss French phrases also known as Helvetisms can certainly throw off the French speakers on the other side of the border. An avid runner and Swiss food blogger, she enjoys exploring Switzerland with her family. Swiss-French is the second most widely spoken language in Switzerland and used by more than two million people. | Are you itchy or what?). For that, we have to go back in time to when you could transport wine on the Aar, the river that goes through Soleure. Auj is one that is relatively easy to guess, " aujourd'hui ", meaning "today". Many French people swear that they can recognize Swiss accents, but, in fact, there is no standard Swiss-French accent. "Duvet" in France means sleeping bag, for similar reasons. Did you know that around two million people in Switzerland are French speakers? @coucoufrenchclasses Unfortunately, her videos are only available with French subtitles. Sans autre No problem. pas de problme is what they say in France. Quick reminders about using French insults 1. but ideally based on the word 'Switzerland/Schweiz/Suisse/Svizzera/Svizra'. After traveling to Reunion Island at the age of 10, he became conscious of the beauty and diversity of cultures. We've created a list of popular slang words and phrases so you can start sounding like, and connect with French locals. 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