tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post5507505584232116855..comments2023-10-29T10:47:53.425+01:00Comments on Expat-Experience: Learning German in SwitzerlandGlobal Librarianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14829642620261054318noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-14715904452387727082008-01-08T17:03:00.000+01:002008-01-08T17:03:00.000+01:00'Fraid I'm not familiar with Solothurn, other than...'Fraid I'm not familiar with Solothurn, other than one afternoon to see the Baroque architecture.<BR/><BR/>But check the classes through the Migros Learning Center. They are an excellent resource throughout Switzerland and I know that the ones in the Zürich area have Swiss German classes.<BR/><BR/>Good luck!Global Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14829642620261054318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-8988998568807914472008-01-08T09:51:00.000+01:002008-01-08T09:51:00.000+01:00Ha! Reading through made me laugh. I've been leari...Ha! Reading through made me laugh. I've been learing High German for a couple of months now (still quite basic stuff) and was shocked when i arrived out here to find that SZ German is from another planet! I was a little annoyed because i wanted to make a real effort while i'm here. <BR/>I've decided to stop in Solothurn as it's a bit more diverse with tourists, bars, social stuff etc so i may stand more of a chance???<BR/>I would like to continue to study German though and try and pick up some SZ G, does anyone know of classes in Solothurn or surrounding area?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-44570076969293724132007-12-13T05:35:00.000+01:002007-12-13T05:35:00.000+01:00I'm glad French is much less complex dialect wise,...I'm glad French is much less complex dialect wise, however I still had people pretend not to understand me..<BR/><BR/>I think many just hear your accent and switch to English because they know you aren't a native speaker..<BR/><BR/>It happened to me a lot! And I was in int/advanced French speakers!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09455800980666388178noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-83645048153075001082007-12-12T16:20:00.000+01:002007-12-12T16:20:00.000+01:00I've heard many people here laugh about how German...I've heard many people here laugh about how Germans and Swiss Germans will each switch to English when speaking to each other, b/c the dialects are just that different.<BR/><BR/>When hubby and I were in Zurich a few weeks back we talked about how, if we were living there, we'd probably make no effort to learn Swiss German, or not more than basic phrases. There seemed to be no need, as everyone knew English, and when else will Swiss German ever be used other than in this one part of a small country?Marcyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00792375260633790983noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-48509003134227746342007-12-11T13:18:00.000+01:002007-12-11T13:18:00.000+01:00My knees are knocking - I am sure I am going to ha...My knees are knocking - I am sure I am going to have a hard time with the language(S). I can't even sort out which one I am trying to speak - any sentence can quite unitentionally end up being a mix of English, German, French and Scottish Gaelic...<BR/>IndiaTwelfthknithttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06793069163403584688noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-69753921559525784502007-12-11T00:10:00.000+01:002007-12-11T00:10:00.000+01:00If that helps you, let me tell you that many Swiss...If that helps you, let me tell you that many Swiss German will answer non-german speakers in their language (at least if they speak that language) as a matter of courtesy. <BR/><BR/>I therefore think you should try the experiment and ask them to keep speaking to you in German and you will probably find out that they will indeed understand a lot of what you say...<BR/><BR/>So keep your head up!<BR/><BR/>Ups, jetzt habe ich doch tatsächlich in Englisch geantwortet... ;-)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-21991603723602689472007-12-10T21:22:00.000+01:002007-12-10T21:22:00.000+01:00This is EXACTLY what happened to me during our tim...This is EXACTLY what happened to me during our time in Switzerland. I was always amazed at how much I understood (and was understood) while traveling through German. And yet when I tried to speak German in Switzerland, the Swiss would often respond in English. Hang in there! And be sure to get back to Germany from time to time just so you can feel good about your progress!Gretchenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14810040397858114893noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-45660563847077007582007-12-10T17:40:00.000+01:002007-12-10T17:40:00.000+01:00I could not understand either Bavarian or the Aust...I could not understand either Bavarian or the Austrian dialects. However, the people I spoke with likely were speaking Hoch Deutsch, even if they would normally have spoken a dialect.<BR/><BR/>Sigh. I'll keep plugging away. But now that Bavaria has passed a smoking ban, I will spend even more time there. Perhaps that will help?Global Librarianhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14829642620261054318noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33053911.post-42818194452006717222007-12-10T17:22:00.000+01:002007-12-10T17:22:00.000+01:00My first trip to Berlin was a revelation - I sudde...My first trip to Berlin was a revelation - I suddenly realized I was eavesdropping on the conversation of a couple next to me, following along - and they were speaking German! <BR/><BR/>Whenever my German teachers prepare us for international exams - you should be able to take such and such an exam after so many months - they always say to add six months to the estimates if you're studying in Switzerland.<BR/><BR/>But I do have trouble understanding a lot of Austrians, at least on TV.swissmisshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18148758243391482706noreply@blogger.com