Züritüütsch isch aifach schön / Zurich German is simply beautiful E-Book

Paul G. Schreier

• Herausgeber: Books on Demand
• Kategorie: Bildung
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Seitenzahl: 332

Beschreibung

Züritüütsch isch aifach schön / Zurich German is Simply Beautiful is a most unusual book for helping you learn Swiss German. The authors took the lyrics from songs by Schtärneföifi, Switzerland's most popular children's band, and first transcribed the Swiss German lyrics, then they translated them into both High German and English. Each song makes up a separate lesson, most coming with cultural notes as well as exercises and solutions that help you master the language. Further, these are not traditional kiddy songs. Instead these songs talk about finding excuses for missing homework, about how miserable it is to live with a know-it-all big brother, and the pains of going clothes shopping with your parents. The lyrics are madcap, preposterous, a tiny bit brazen and impudent. Furthermore, the tunes are really catchy. All the members of Schtärneföifi are professional musicians, so you'll hear straightahead rock as well as funk, hip-hop, house, rumba-calypso, country-western and even salsa.

Leseprobe

Dedications

I want to dedicate this book to my four children. They make me ever so happy when I see them enjoy something, and this music definitely is part of their enjoyment. I would also like to dedicate it to the members of Schtärneföifi, who play these songs and make children so happy in their concerts, so much so that the kids sing along and follow the movements of the band.—HF

I would like to dedicate this book to my children and especially to my patient wife Marge, all of whom tolerate the funny hours I keep, my overdedication to work, my sloppy office, and who sometimes have trouble figuring out why I enjoy writing these Swiss German books so much.—PGS

Acknowledgements

We would like to acknowledge all the members of Schtärneföifi, and in particular Jean Zuber, for his support in coordinating our activities with the group, and also Boni Koller, who wrote all the lyrics, gave his permission for us to use them and thus was instrumental in making this book a reality. We are constantly amazed by the group’s creativity, and we wish them all the best with their new musical and all future endeavors.

The members of Schtärneföifi are:

Sibylle Aeberli: lead vocals, guitar

Boni Koller: lead vocals, guitar

Jean Zuber: bass, background vocals

Thomas Haldimann: drums, percussion, background vocals

Adrian Fiechter: keyboards, background vocals

We would also like to acknowledge the graphic artists and photographers who created the illustrations that appear in the CD booklets and many of which appear in this book:

Claude Kaiser, Andi Gloor, Mia Gloor, Heini Gloor, Daniel Leber, Liz Ammann and Marc Straumann

Cover illustrations created by Cristina Altwegg

To readers of this book who would like to purchase the music CDs upon which we have based this work, we recommend they go directly to the Schtärneföifi web site (www.schtaerne5i.ch). Click on the link that leads to Shop. The site allows the purchase of CDs along with other products related to the group and their music with a credit card and also allows for deliveries both within Switzerland and internationally.

Contents

Acknowledgements

Introductions

Notes on the Transcriptions and Translations

The Differences between Swiss German and High German

Swiss Vocabulary

Grammar Index (Instructor’s Guide)

Lampefieber (Stage Fright)

Alibi / Alibi

Usdruckstanz / Expression Dance

Familieschluuch / Family Obligations

Ich mach us dir en Schtar / I’ll Make a Star Out of You

Königin / Queen

Lampefieber / Stage Fright

Schöns Wätter / Nice Weather

S’Töffli vom Pöschtler / The Mailman’s Moped

Muskle / Muscles

Driigleit / Tricked

De Fritz us Züri / Fritz from Zurich

Trampeltier / Klutz

Alarm / Alarm

Megafon / Megaphone

Ich singe / I Sing

Lüge / Lies

Schnee / Snow

Geischterbahn (Haunted House)

Geischterbahn / Haunted House

Min grosse Brüeder / My Big Brother

Uufzgi / Homework

Züritüütsch / Zurich German

Zahni / Dentist

Füürwehrmaa / Fireman

Helikopter / Helicopter

Tierli plage / Tormenting Little Animals

Neui Chleider / New Clothes

Gool / Goal

Guezli / Cookies

Füdliblutt am Nordpol / Stark Naked on the North Pole

Rocker / Rocker

En Cowboy hät’s nöd eifach / A Cowboy Doesn’t Have It Easy

Es Auto bruucht e Huupi / A Car Needs a Horn

Weicheiteig / Weekday

Heimlifeiss (Faker)

Frau Aeberli / Mrs. Aeberli

Nach de Schuel / After School

Seiltanz / Tightrope Dance

En Aff isch en Aff / An Ape is an Ape

Bring mi zum Lache / Make Me Laugh

D’Nina günnt / Nina Wins

Göiferlatz / Spitter

Fläscheposcht / Mail in a Bottle

Ich schpinn / I’m Crazy

De Huet vom Bill / Bill’s Hat

Heimlifeiss / Faker

Batterie / Batteries

Pantherlied / Panther Song

Indianerschprach / Indian Talk

Tuet Mer Leid (I’m Sorry)

De David isch en Zauberer / David Is a Magician

De Zirkuselifant Ferdinand / The Circus Elephant Ferdinand

Tuet mer leid / I’m Sorry

Mir isch schlächt / I Feel Sick

D’Gschicht vom Zähmeter-Sprungbrett / The Story of the 10-Meter Diving Board

Tante Erika / Aunt Erika

Täderlisack / Tattletale

De Schatz i de Höhli / The Treasure in the Cave

Näbel / Fog

S’Lied vom Schalter / Switch Song

Au / Ouch

S’isch überobe en Spuk / There’s a Ghost Up There

Bravo Hugo / Bravo, Hugo!

Ohni Znacht is Bett / To Bed Without Dinner

De Dopplet Geburtstag (The Double Birthday)

Löli / Chump

Geburtstag / Birthday

Solutions to the Exercises

About the Authors

Introduction

by Paul Schreier

The book in your hands provides a most unusual way of learning a language. Our first book, Die Schweizermacher: A Swiss German Tutorial, was based on the most popular Swiss movie ever made, and the book has been very well received. We have now expanded that concept to work with songs from the most successful Swiss children’s music group, Schtärneföifi. But please don’t be misled by the fact that these are children’s songs; they have enormous appeal for adults, and they make an excellent vehicle for learning a language. Really, isn’t that how little kids often learn a language, through songs and games?

I came upon Schtärneföifi in a round about way. In my attempts to find resources to help me learn Swiss German, I did a web search, and among the hits was a link to a song entitled “Züritüütsch”—Zürichdeutsch, or Zurich German, the dialect from that region. On that link I found the lyrics and was fascinated. The song is a whimsical homage to the local dialect, making potshots at all the other Swiss dialects. I decided right then I had to have the CD, so I ordered it online just on the basis of that song. When the CD arrived, however, I discovered that all the songs except for “Züritüütsch” were written for children, and I wasn’t sure what I got myself into. But as I listened to them, I found myself enjoying them very much.

You see, these aren’t the traditional kinds of children’s songs you’re used to. They don’t present a sugar-coated world of fairies and soft cuddly animals. These songs talk about finding excuses for the homework you didn’t do, about how miserable it is to live with a know-it-all big brother, the pains of going clothes shopping with your parents, and why you shouldn’t torment animals. These are songs that meet the kids in their real world, where they live. The lyrics are madcap, perposterous, a tiny bit brazen and impudent.

Furthermore, the tunes are really catchy. You have to realize that all the members of Schtärneföifi are professional musicians who have worked in rock groups for years and only came to form this group by a strange set of circumstances. They never expected the group to last this long, but now they’ve achieved cult status along with some of their songs. Their songs take inspiration from a variety of genres. Of course you’ll hear straight-ahead rock, but there’s also funk, hip-hop, house, rumba-calypso, country-western and even salsa— no surprise given that the group recorded part of one album in Cuba and got infected with the Latin rhythms. In fact, my co-author Harry is a salsa aficionado, and he tells me that one of Schtärneföifi’s songs, “Seiltanz” (“Tightrope Dance”) gets regular spins at Zürich’s premier salsa club, and the audience loves it.

These songs introduce the young audience to a variety of musical styles, and it also helps keep the adults interested, as well. After all, don’t your kids put on a song and play it and play it and play it... And don’t you often get really sick of hearing it? At least with music from Schtärneföifi you won’t reach that point quite as fast! And the band recognizes that it’s the parents who make the CD purchase at that age, so they need a product that’s somewhat appealing to adults, as well.

Some of Schtärneföifi’s songs have become cultural landmarks in just a few years. I’ll bet that every Swiss youngster—at least those in German-speaking Switzerland—knows the phrase “Ohni Znacht is Bett” (“To Bed Without Dinner”) with its chorus call “Haicho, Haicho!” (“Come home, come home!”) first as a Schtärneföifi hit, and they probably know all the lyrics by heart, as well.

As a language-learning tool these songs are great. The vocabulary is interesting and down to earth, dealing with daily matters. The members of the group report that they’ve received countless requests from local grade-school teachers for the music and lyrics. In response, they posted this material for some of the most popular songs on their web site (www.schtaerne5i.ch) and have since published a book with that information. The fact that several band members have formal training as educators also helps make the songs interesting.

Before I continue, I’d probably better say a few words about the group’s name, Schtärneföifi. Translated literally it means “five stars,” but in acutal use it’s a polite curse, perhaps equivalent to our “darned it!” I’ve heard that in its formative stages the group had to come up with a name pretty quickly, they were all living/ rehearsing in or near Zurich’s 5th District (Kreis 5) and so landed on a wordplay with that number. Besides, there are five members in the group, and they’re all stars. Their only real lament is that they’ve picked a name that nobody in Switzerland can spell!

There’s one huge drawback to this using these songs as a language instruction—until you learn enough Swiss German, you won’t begin to appreciate the rhythm, rhyming and joy of the lyrics. It would be a nearly impossible task to take the Swiss German lyrics, translate them into English and have the same rhythmic and rhyming effect. In fact, we felt that a detailed translation best serves the purposes of this book. So when you read through the English lyrics you might be tempted to think, “Gee, these lyrics seem pretty silly, who can make any sense of them?” Well, sometimes they’re just a play on words, and there are lots of people who enjoy them, as attested to by the fact that the group has sold thousands and thousands of CDs.

Also note that while the translation into German is very close in terms of word order, we have taken more liberties with the English at times to make the translation more understandable. You won’t necessarily find a 1-to-1, direct word-order translation, but the translations do give you a far better flavor for what the actual meaning is.

Many songs include some exercises that illustrate some special constructions that appear in that song. We supply solutions to the exercises at the back of this book. If you are looking for a comprehensive grammar for Swiss German, we suggest you take a look at our previous book, Die Schweizermacher: A Swiss German Tutorial (details on www.thelanguager.ch).

We hope that, with the help of this book, you will reach a point where the Swiss German lyrics are enjoyable to you. Maybe, with luck, you’ll soon be singing along. I guarantee it, in any case you’ll be humming the tunes. See, can’t learning a language be sort of fun?

Introduction

by Harry Fuchs

Some years ago my children came home from a Schtärneföifi concert they had gone to without me. They brought home a CD and started playing it over and over and over again. My children had learned all about the Repeat button on the CD player, so I was used to hearing the same song repeatedly. I found that when I’d walk by their room that I quite liked the music, but when I carefully listened to the lyrics I was a little bit confused. What’s the educational value of singing about a fireman who lights fires so he has something to do, or a song that tells kids that the most important part of a car is its horn? In any case, my children identified very much with these stories. Somehow I got around to liking them, and in the end my children definitely taught me to enjoy these songs!

To learn Swiss German, you must rely mainly on your ears because it’s difficult to reinforce what you’ve learned by doing written assignments alone; besides, Swiss German isn’t a written language. This book and its exercises aren’t intended to help you learn how to write Swiss German but rather to use the songs to learn vocabulary and structures useful in everyday speech. Further, because we expect that many readers of this book have some background in High German, we also include a section that focuses on the differences between the two languages. Knowing these transformations makes it far easier to understand Swiss German.

Why did we choose music from the most popular childrens’ band in Switzerland ever? Because language is music, and by listening to these songs you can hear the words as they really sound. Another big advantage is that Schtärneföifi is one of the few bands that sings in Züritüütsch, which many consider a standard of sorts in that it is spoken by the majority of the Swiss and moreover understood by almost everyone in the country.

The German have an interesting phrase to describe a tune or melody that gets in your head and just won’t let go. They refer to it as an Ohrwurm, an “ear worm.” I bring this up because you’ll discover that some of these songs will become Ohrwürmer and the choruses will fly around in your head—but that’s the best way to master words and phrases. Don’t be afraid to sing along with any children you might hear.

You might not get an opportunity to visit a Schtärneföifi concert or see their musical production, but if you get a chance it’s a fascinating experience. The band makes the event very interactive. The members invite children to act out the song lyrics, such as by imitating a rescue helicopter flying over and letting a rope down to save someone, or to scream with delight in a haunted house, or to perform the “Expression Dance.” This combination of sound and movement—even if you only choose to observe—makes it even easier to remember words. Besides, it’s great to watch the kids have such a great time.

But why hold back? This physical reinforcement of the language is one way kids have of learning a language more easily than do adults. So why not break the ice and pick up their techniques for mastering Swiss German?

A few words about the transcriptions of the Swiss German are in order. One difficult aspect was being consistent with the use of some specific words, a few examples being wel/wil, two alternate spellings for the High German weil (because), wiso/wieso pwieso (why), and ich mus/mues pich muss (I must). Another consideration was when to use “e” and “ä” or any shade in between, which arises in Züritüütsch because this city, being the economic and cultural center of the country, is greatly influenced by other dialects. Furthermore, when the Swiss move to another Kanton (state), they never try to hide their dialect and substitute it with a neutral one. So Zürich becomes the Swiss melting pot for dialects.

In addition, note that we left all proper names untouched and did not write them out phonetically.

I think you’ll be surprised to find that the lyrics are as interesting to adults as they are to children. They’ll teach you a great deal about the Swiss culture and expand on the deeper meaning of everyday life in Switzerland. I believe you’ll find that learning Swiss German with the help of this music will prove to be a fascinating experience.

Notes on the Transcriptions and Translations

We do not intend this book to serve as a complete course in Swiss German; rather, it serves as a supplement to those studying the language in a more formal way. It’s useful either in a classroom or as an individual study aid. With many songs we’ve included exercises that are self-explanatory, and we supply all the solutions in a section at the conclusion of the book.

In the German translation, we did not always attempt to find the phrasing that a native German would likely use for the same thought. The translations are German as it is spoken in Switzerland, which is almost the same as standard German with a difference primarily in vocabulary (comparable to the difference between British and American English) and some grammar constructions that do not exist in Schweizerdeutsch (such as genitive, simple past tense and relative clauses). Be prepared to find an article used with a first name, the doubling of words, and a lot of the present perfect tense. Our goal was to give Germans a feeling of how the Swiss speak and how they structure their phrases and sentences. Our German text thus remains close to Schweizerdeutsch, which means we made a word-by-word translation that was possible with maybe two dozen exceptions dealing with constructions of modal verbs.

You must also take into consideration that song lyrics don’t always reflect strict grammar rules. This is especially true for subordinate clauses, where in German the verb should go at the very end. In songs the flow of speech and rhyme is more important than the position of any sentence element. In addition, Germans use a lot of colloquialisms that are similar to Swiss German, for example, the the use of an article with a person’s name such as de Peter (in German der Peter, den Peter). Another example is the use of go (in German, gehen) in combination with another verb, although not as much as Swiss German, for instance, einkaufen gehen (go shopping). You’ll also see the Swiss drop the final “-e” on a verb used in the first person singular such as ich läb (in German ich lebe pich leb’ I live), and “es” is in most cases gets shortened to “ ‘s” (German Ich hab’s for “I have it” in Swiss German becomes Ich ha’s) except for nouns where it is “s’”.

Don’t be shocked if the language sounds rude and harsh. Very often that arises because of its old roots. An example is Muul (mouth), which is the universal neutral word for mouth. In High German, however, it refers to an animal mouth or is used in idioms such as halt dein Maul! (shut up!), literally keep your mouth shut.

You can expect the High German words wenn, dann, will, alles and others to have a double consonant in Swiss German, too. But as Swiss German tends to melt words together, we decided that a single letter better represents that sound. Therefore the booklets of lyrics that come with the CDs and also the separate songbook with music/lyrics written by the band have a slightly different spelling system than ours. You will see differences especially in words with an “ai” instead of “ei”; “ei” for us is a compromise with German that almost everybody makes but that we find problematic because it does not reflect the pronunciation of this sound. We hence keep the original Schtärneföifi spelling in a song title and when ours differs, we put it in parentheses. Finally, note that when pronouncing words, the Swiss generally place the accent on the first syllable, and that’s also true for words imported from French such as Apero or Bíleet.

Major differences between Swiss German and High German

This section summarizes the major differences between the two languages. For the various categories we have added an abbreviated identifier, which appears on the Instructor’s Guide. In this way, if you are looking for a song that deals with a change of vowel, you find one of the songs with a “CoV” under that column to find some examples and possibly some exercises to help you better understand the concept.

1. Pronunciation

Change of vowel (CoV)

The Swiss very often change the pronunciation of vowels compared to German.

“ei” changes to “i(i)”, and the parentheses indicate that the Swiss optionally add the second i (

Schweiz

(Switzerland) p

Schwiiz

) depending on the length of the “i” sound

“au” in German changes to “u(u)” in Schweizerdeutsch (

Haut

(skin) p

Huut

)

“eu” changes to “ü(ü)” (

heute

(today) p

hüt

)

“u” changes to “ue” (

gut

(good) p

guet

)

“ü” changes to “üe” (

früh

(early) p

früe

)

“i” changes to “ie” (

Liebe

(love) p

Liebi

) (in the “ie” the Swiss pronounce both vowels, here lee-ah-be)

Pronunciation (Pnctn)

“(-)st-” and “(-)sp-” at the beginning or in the middle of a word are pronounced with a “sch” (English: “sh”) sound.

“ch” is pronounced gutturally like clearing your throat. This is a particular trait of the Zurich dialect – see the lyrics to “Züritüütsch” for a fun introduction to this aspect.

Suffixes/Prefixes (S/Pfix)

The Swiss normally drop “-n” at the end of a word, very often seen with infinitives (

singen

(sing) p

singe

). Also in compound words (

einfach

(simple) p

aifach

,

einschalten

) turn on p

iischalte

)

The Swiss often drop “-ch” at the end of a word, but its usage is being slowly reintroduced because of the influence of German. (

auch

(also) p

au

,

noch

(still) p

no

).

“-ung” normally changes to “-ig” (example:

die Rechnung

(the bill) p

d’Rächnig

) except for words that end in “-gung” (example:

Entschuldigung

(pardon) p

Entschuldigung

) and the word

Achtung.

Schweizerdeutsch uses the ending “-li” for diminutives (it’s the equivalent of the German “-lein” and “ -chen”). The Swiss use diminutives quite often to indicate that something is small or cute, but there are other uses, as well. They can use this form to try to make something sound less dramatic or harmless than it actually is (for instance,

Kchantönligaischt

, to describe that every Kanton has its own spirit and laws, or

Vetterli-Wirtschaft

which refers to advancing in your career or business only by knowing friends and relatives, or it can give a negative connotation to a term (

Plauderstündli

, an idle conversation) or almost criminal act (

Gschäftlimacher

).

Germans very often use “ge“ in front or in the middle of a verb to form the past participle. The Swiss drop the “-e-” (example:

geschrieben

(written) p

gschribe

).

The Swiss often replace the German prefix “er-” with “ver-”, for instance,

erzählen

(to talk about something) p

verzelle

.

The Swiss use “-le” instead of “–eln”

Examples: Regeln (rules)’Regle, fuchteln (thrash about with your arms) ’fuchtle

“-eln” in German and “-le” in Swiss German can also be used to make a verb less emphatic, and sometimes it expresses a positive attitude towards the action. Example: in German, lachen (laugh) plächeln (laugh psmile) and in Swiss German lache plächle; zmörgle means to eat breakfast leisurely in pleasant surroundings.

Flow of speech (FoS)

When one word ends in a vowel and the next one begins in a vowel, the Swiss put in a linking letter, normally an “-n-”. As a result, the spoken words almost melt into each other (similar to French) to maintain the flow of speech. For example, min Name isch becomes minamenisch (my name is) where the “-n-” is inserted between Name and isch.

Alignment of consonants (AlignC)

Swiss German is very efficient in speech. When forming sounds, the Swiss try to minimize tongue movement, and thus different letter sounds approach each other in the mouth. Consider, for instance, the German word besonders (especially), and compare that to the Swiss psunders, which needs far less energy to formulate. Other examples are pschiisse (to cheat) or Hämp (shirt).

Verbs + Pronouns (V+P)

The Swiss often use a contraction of a verb and a pronoun in questions and inversions (haben wir...? (do we have...?) phämmer...? or another example is bin ich...? (am I...?) pbini...?). When using the second person singular (du), the Swiss often drop the pronoun (hast du Zeit? (do you have time?) phäsch Ziit?)

Conjunctions + Pronouns (C+P)

The Swiss often use a contraction of a conjunction and the pronoun du (you), for example wo du pwod (where you), ob du pobd or pöbd (if you), and wil du pwild (because you) and wie du pwid (as you).

Idiosyncracies (Idio)

Double use of words

a) verbs (in combination with a second verb)

ga(ng) go, cho go, laa laa

ich gang go poschte (I’m going to go shopping), er chunt go ässe (he’s coming to go eat), er laat

s’Auto laa repariere (he’s going to have his car be repaired).

b) adverbs, prepositions and others

Dä det hine det (the one over there)

Ich lueg in Schpiegel ine (I’m looking into the mirror into, where in means “into the” and ine means “into”)

Ich faar durs Tunnel dure (I’m driving through the tunnel through, where durs means “through the” and dure means “through”)

Note: the second use of the word is redundant, but it is popular in common usage.

Telling time: To tell somebody what time it is, use: Es isch ais, zwai, drü, vieri, foifi, sächsi... (it’s one, two, three, four, five, six...) and note the “i” at the end of the numbers from four on.

When referring to either age or time you can use either form (vier or vieri) starting with four until any arbitrary number.

The meanings of “z”

“z” for “zu“(for example, zu gut pz’guet (two words), zufrieden pzfride (one word)

“z” for “in“ (for example, in Zürich pz’Züri)

Colloquialisms (Coll)

Starting off a sentence with du (equivalent to “hey, you...“) is considered slang and was especially popular among the counterculture some years ago and spread into more common usage among young people.

,oder? at the end of a sentence asks for agreement or makes it a question (like the English tags, “isn’t it?” or “don’t you?”). That construction is often used by Zürich natives, and Germans make fun of the Swiss when imitating them, always adding oder to their sentences.

2. Grammar

Swiss German grammar is to 95% identical with German grammar, the 5% difference being structures that don’t exist in Swiss German. What doesn’t exist?

Genitive (Gen)

Simple Past (SP)

Past Perfect (PP)

Because Schweizerdeutsch has no simple past tense, forming the past perfect becomes a bit complicated. To form the past perfect in most languages you use an auxiliary verb in the simple past + the past participle (I had eaten), but Swiss German has no form for “had”. However, in Schweizerdeutsch it’s impossible to put the auxiliary verb in the simple past because that form doesn’t exist. Thus, the Swiss form the past perfect with the auxiliary verb in the perfect + the past participle. The result is the auxiliary verb and two past participles. For instance, Ich ha scho gässe gha, in German literally Ich habe schon gegessen gehabt, in proper German Ich hatte schon gegessen (I had already eaten).

Relative Clauses (RC)

Relative clauses are quite simple to construct because Schweizerdeutsch uses one relative pronoun wo for almost all situations. In German, the relative pronoun generally changes with gender and case (German: Der Mann, den ich getroffen habe... Swiss German: De Maa, wo-n-ich troffe ha(n)... The man who I met...).

Word Order (WO)

Word order, especially with an indefinite article and an intensifying word, is reversed in German and Swiss German. For example, Ich wünsche dir einen ganz schönen Abend (I wish you a very pleasant evening) pIch wünsche dir ganz en schöne-n-Abig.

The Swiss use zum + verb instead of um ... zu + infinitive. In the text, you will see zum drüber nadänkche— in German it would be um darüber nachzudenken (to think about it) or zum di andere au mal laa—um die anderen auch mal zu lassen (to give the others a chance, too).

No zu + infinitive

Ich fange nicht so schnell an zu weinen pIch fang nöd so gschnäll aa brüele

Forms that do not exist at all

1. n-Declination (nouns that take an adjective ending). Ich spreche mit einem Journalisten (I am speaking with a journalist) pIch rede mit eme(ne) Schurnalischt.

2. Constructions with Past Participles Used As Adjectives

Some forms in German are used only in writing, not in speech, because they are so complex. These constructions are normally restructured when translating into any other language–in our case, Swiss German, by using a relative clause and often a passive construction. For example, Das von einem Erdbeben zerstörte Dorf wurde wieder aufgebaut (The village that was destroyed by an earthquake was rebuilt) pS’Dorf, wo vo-n-eme Erdbebe zerschtört worde-n-isch, isch wider ufbaut worde.

3. Position of phrases with a modal verb in the past tense

Germans tend to use modals in the simple past tense as in ich konnte nicht kommen (I could not come) rather then ich habe nicht kommen können (it should be gekonnt, but a modal verb in the perfect tense used in combination with a second verb changes for no reason to the infinitive). But in Swiss German there’s no easy way out, so you must use a type of double infinitive ich ha nöd chöne cho (note the position of the two infinitives, which is inverted compared to German)

Schtärneföifi provides us with a fantastic resource of authentic everyday language. In daily life you will see the words they are using over and over again. The following list contains words that do not have an equivalent in High German and are in common usage. It’s worth learning them.

Verbs

aagää

anstossen

push off (of something) such as on a swing

aalegge

anziehen

put on (clothes)

aalüüte

anrufen

call (on the phone)

abverheie

missraten,

turn out poorly, be unsuccessful

misslingen

bache

backen

bake; slang: slap or sleep

slang: schlagen,

schlafen

biise

jucken

itch

bloche

rasen

speed (with a motor vehicle)

brüele

weinen

cry

bruuche

brauchen,

need, use

benutzen

chafle

knabbern

nibble

chäschperle

(Kasperle-)Theater behave a little bit silly

spielen

chätsche

kauen

chew (making noise), argue

(geräuschvoll, auf

den Zähnen),

streiten

cheere

drehen

turn

chifele

sich kabbeln

have a small argument over

something trivial

chlööne

jammern

complain

chlöpfe

krachen, knallen

bang, make a noise like a

“bang”

chlüübe

kneifen

pinch

chodere

rotzen

clear your throat

choie

kauen

chew

chräble

kratzen

scratch

chräie

kreischen

scream

chrampfe

schuften

work hard

chrible

kritzeln

scribble

chrömle

wenn Kinder etwas Kleines einkaufen; normalerweise Süssigkeiten am Kiosk refers to children buying something small, normally sweets at a newsstand

chroose

knirschen

grind

chüngele

rummachen

fiddle around

driilegge

reinlegen

trick somebody

druuscho

begreifen

understand, to get it

flikche

flicken, reparieren

repair

gheie

fallen

fall

gigle

kichern

giggle

giire

quietschen,

squeak

knarren

gingge

treten

kick

goisse

schreien

scream

görpse

rülpsen

burp

gsee

sehen

see

gumpe

springen, hüpfen

jump

hokche

sitzen

sit

hüete

aufpassen

watch over something

jukche

reizen

to be tempting

lange

reichen,

to be enough

genug sein

lisme

stricken

knit

lose

hören, gehorchen

listen, obey

luege

schauen

look

lupfe

heben

lift

lüüte

klingeln

ring (as in a bell)

mitcho

mitkommen,

come along, understand, to get

begreifen

it

plage

quälen

torment

poschte

einkaufen

buy, shop

pressiere

sich (be)eilen

hurry

pschiise

bescheissen,

cheat

schummeln,

betrügen

rüere

rühren, werfen

stir, throw

schaffe

arbeiten

work

schärble

klirren

shatter

schlegle

sich prügeln

children having a little fight

schliise

kaputt machen

break

schmökche

schmecken,

taste, smell

riechen

schpoize

spucken

spit

schupfe

stossen

push

schwäze

reden

talk

soile

kleckern

make (something) dirty, soil

täderle

petzen

taddle, tell on (somebody)

tätsche

knallen

make a loud noise/bang

töne

klingen

sound

trüle

drehen

twist

tschuute

Fussball spielen

play soccer

tüpfe

treffen

hit

übercho

bekommen

get, receive

umcheere

umdrehen

turn over

umebringe

zurückbringen

bring back

umegää

zurückgeben

give back

uusschlipfe

ausrutschen

slip (such as on ice)

verliide

ertragen,

endure, stand

vertragen

versorge

wegräumen

clean up

wundernää

wundern

wonder (about something)

wüsche

fegen

sweep

zügle

umziehen

move to a new home, apartment

ich haus

ich gehe

I’m going

Nouns

d’Badi

die Badeanstalt

public swimming facility

d’Chappe

die Mütze,

hat, cap

die Kappe

d’Chilbi

die Kirmes

village/town festival

d’Chile

die Kirche

church

D’Chrusle

die Locke

lock of hair

d’Flättere

die Ohrfeige

slap on the face

d’Gonfi

die Marmelade

jam

d’Schnure

die Schnauze

mouth

d’Schtäge

die Treppe

stairs

d’Schtube

das Wohnzimmer

living room

d’Schuelerais

die Klassenfahrt,

school class trip

der Klassenausflug

d’Schüür

die Scheune

barn

d’Tole

der Gully

manhole cover

d’Uufzgi

die (Haus)Aufgaben

homework

d’Wöschufhänkchi

die Wäscheleine

clothesline

de Abwart,

der Hausmeister

custodian, maintenance

de Huuswart

man

de Chlapf

der Knall, der

loud bang; slang: car

Schlag; slang: das

Auto

de Chlütter (slang)

das Geld

money

de Chnorz

mühselige Arbeit

hard work

de Chnuschti

der Depp

fool, idiot

de Chübel

der Eimer

pail

de Chüngel

das Kaninchen

rabbit

de Dubbel

der Trottel

jerk, fool

de Goifer

der Rotz

snot

de Götti

der Pate

godfather

de Grind

der Kopf

head

de Haag

der Zaun

fence

de Häntsche

der Handschuh

glove

de Harass

die Kiste

case (such as to hold

bottles)

de Härdöpfel

die Kartoffel

potato

de Hoigümper

der Grashüpfer

grasshopper

de Löli

der Trottel

jerk, fool

de Mais

das Tohuwabohu

noisy chaos

de Mischt

der Mist,

rubbish, crap

der Blödsinn

de Moscht

der Apfelsaft

apple juice

de Pöschtler

der Briefträger

mail carrier

de Rankch

die Kurve

curve

de Ranze

der Bauch

belly

de Saich

der Blödsinn

foolishness, silliness

de Schiff

der Regen (Pisse)

rain (literally piss)

de Schnauz

der Schnurrbart

mustache

de Schpiise

der Splitter

splinter

de Schwof

der Tanz

dance

de Tekch

der Schulranzen

backpack (for students)

de Tschüteler

der Fussballer

soccer player

de Wankch

die Bewegung

movement

de Zwaifränkchler

das Zweifrankenstück

2-Frank coin

s’Bileet

das Billett, die

ticket

(Fahr)karte, die

Eintrittskarte

s’Brösmeli

der Krümel

crumb

s’Büechergschtell

das Bücherregal

bookcase

s’Büsi

das Kätzlein

kitty cat

s’Chäppli

die kleine Mütze

small cap or hat

s’Chlüpli

das Klämmerchen;

clothespin; slang: finger

slang: der Finger

s’Chriesi

die Kirsche

cherry

s’Fingerbeeri

die Fingerkuppe

fingertip

s’Füdli

der Hintern

back side, rear end

s’Glasse

das Eis (Eiskrem)

ice cream

s’Guezli

der Keks

cookie

s’Gülleloch

die Jauchegrube

septic tank

s’Liibli

das T-Shirt

T-shirt

s’Mami

die Mama

mommy

s’Näscht (slang)

das Bett

bed

s’Nastuech

das Taschentuch

handkerchief

s’Riitsail

die Schaukel

swing set (for children)

s’Ross

das Pferd

horse

s’Sakchgäld

das Taschengeld

pocket money

s’Töffli

das Moped

moped

s’Trotinett

der Roller

scooter (non-motorized)

s’Trottoar

der Gehsteig

sidewalk

s’Velo

das Fahrrad

bicycle

s’Zältli

das Bonbon

candy

Meals

de Zmorge

das Frühstück

breakfast

de Znüni

Imbiss um 9 Uhr

morning coffee

morgens

break (midmorning snack)

de Zmittag

das Mittagessen

lunch

de Zvieri

Imbiss um 4 Uhr

late afternoon snack

nachmittags

de Zabig/Znacht

das Abendessen

supper, dinner

In some dialects the article of the meals is neuter (s’)

Adjectives

ärger

schlimmer

worse

chaibe

verflixt, verdammt

damned (as in a curse)

ekchlig

gruselig

disgusting

fain

lecker

tasty

faiss

dick

fat

gfürchig

Furcht einflössend

fearful

ghüslet

kariert

checked pattern

glatt

lustig

funny

gruusig

grauenhaft, hässlich

ugly

gschliichig

schleimig

slimy

gschtabig

steif (für Bewegungen)

stiff

haimlifais

es faustdick hinter den

faker

Ohren haben

härzig

süss

sweet

hässig

verärgert, wütend

angry

lässig

super, cool

great, cool

schlifrig

rutschig

slippery

trümmlig

schwindelig

dizzy

tüpflet

gepunktet

polka dotted

verrukcht

böse, wütend

mad, angry

wüescht

hässlich

ugly

Wörter für ”sehr“, ”gross“

schampar

schaurig / schuurig

Other Words

ächt

vielleicht, wohl, was meinst du, denkst du nicht?

maybe, what do you think? don’t you think?

am Änd

vielleicht sogar

maybe even

amigs

jeweils

in each case, every time

äxgüsi

Entschuldigung

excuse me

äxtra

absichtlich

intentionally

dänkch

doch

indeed

drufabe

daraufhin

afterwards

e chli

ein wenig

a little

es bizli

ein bisschen

a little bit

fäng(s)

schon mal

once already

gliich

trotzdem, doch

indeed, despite

im Fall

übrigens, nämlich

by the way

läkch!

Mensch!

Wow!

mänge

manche einer

quite a few people

mängisch

manchmal, oft

sometimes, often

mängs

vieles

a lot

naime, noime(d)

irgendwo

anywhere, somewhere

namal

nochmals

once again

niemer(t)

niemand

nobody

niene(t)

nirgends/nirgendwo

nowhere

nöd

nicht

not

nonig

noch nicht

not yet

nüme

nicht mehr

no more

nüt

nichts

nothing

öpper(t)

jemand

someone

öppis

etwas

something

parat

bereit

ready, finished

schier

fast

almost

schiint’s

anscheinend

apparently

sowiso

das denkst auch

So you think so!

nur du!

susch(t)

sonst

otherwise

vercheert

verkehrtrum

the other way around

vorig

übrig

left over

Idioms

als Sonderakchzion

im Ausverkauf

on sale, closeout sale

än Lätsch mache

ein Gesicht wie 7

make a face

Tage Regenwetter

expressing dismay,

machen

disappointment

än Wankch mache

sich bewegen

move

deet dure

in dieser Hinsicht

in this regard

gseet hässig us

sieht gehässig aus

look very angry

immer dri laufe

immer den/die

always make the same

gleichen Fehler

mistake(s)

machen

nöd/nüt degliiche tue

sich nichts

pretend as if nothing

anmerken lassen

happened

‘s lauft chrum

es läuft krumm,

go wrong

geht schief

‘s schnägglet aim aa

keine Lust dazu

feel like not doing it

haben

Sorg gä

Sorge tragen

watch out for something

waisch wie fain!

das ist aber lecker!

that really tastes good!