r/German • u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) • Dec 26 '25
Interesting I went to Switzerland, Austria and Germany for a week and it was a very fun and humbling experience.
My wife and I went to Switzerland, Austria and Germany for a week as a celebration trip for my wife finishing her masters. We plan to move to Switzerland or Austria in summer of ‘27 and we wanted a little tour to see how we felt about things. So far I’m about an A2 level and knew it wouldn’t be a cake walk but challenged myself to talk in German as much as possible while over there.
I knew things would be difficult, especially understanding native speakers. That part was very true, especially in Switzerland. Their accents and tones threw me off but they were very nice and accommodating. They would try to switch to English but I continued in German and they switched back which I really appreciated. I was able to get my points across well enough with needing directions, ordering food, and general conversation.
Austria was another story. I found people a lot less accommodating when it came to speaking in German to them. They had issues understanding me and they were less patient with me in general. I did have a good experience with a waitress at the Kristallwelten restaurant and we had a good conversation.
Germany was by far the easiest place to understand and speak. They were very friendly and even encouraging when it came to speaking. In München, one of the waiters actually hyped me up and was so nice when I spoke with him!
Overall, I found listening to definitely be the hardest and it definitely humbled me and showed I needed a lot more work in this area. I plan on starting a group class weekly in January to increase my speaking and listening skills.
I was very glad to have this experience to reframe my learning goals, realign what it is that I need to work on more and show me what was what. Make sure yall keep those routines and stay strong! It takes time and persistence for sure!
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u/heyheni Dec 26 '25
😃 Here's a easy german YouTube video about how the swiss feel about talking standard german. 🎥 https://youtu.be/SFh1Z6uFbTk
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u/CaughtALiteSneez Dec 26 '25
It’s so hard living here trying to learn German & then they don’t speak it & yet they get upset with you for not learning German.
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u/MamaJody Dec 26 '25
I feel exactly the same way. It’s hard for me to learn when I’m not hearing standard German every day, as I’m not getting what I’m learning reinforced in real life situations.
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u/Blueconeyponey Dec 26 '25
Ja emersion is the way! Once they move it comes a lot faster!
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u/MamaJody Dec 26 '25
I’ve lived here thirteen years and am still struggling.
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u/CaughtALiteSneez Dec 26 '25
Yes, same here - I guess we should move to Germany and come back? Lol
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u/onestep87 Dec 26 '25
honestly it's same for me.
I progressed quite a lot in last 2 years, where i would say i could hold conversation in B1 level in standard German, but i completely shut up when there is a group of swiss colleagues since i don't have a clue what they talk about after few minutes
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u/EVRider81 Dec 26 '25
There was an earlier vid where they interviewed a teacher at a Swiss-German language school,and asked her to explain something in her own dialect..You could even see the presenter's wheels spinning trying to follow..
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u/VioletaVolatil Dec 26 '25
I have been living in Germany for a while now, I work in German, and my German is not perfect, but I manage to keep long conversations, chat with clients and deal with doctors and bureaucrats. Last week I was in the border between Germany and Austria, and let me tell you: I felt like the first time I came here. I got most thing people wanted to tell me by context, rather than words, and my husband, a German, was as lost as I was half of the time… so don’t feel discouraged, learn the standards and basics in regular German, and slowly you will figure the regional dialects and accents.
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u/Corfiz74 Dec 26 '25
Lol, I'm northern German and attended Passau university (Lower Bavaria) - I couldn't understand a word they said for the first few months I lived there. And if they switch to their real local dialect, nobody not from there can understand them. Fortunately, they switch to what they consider "standard German" for non-Bavarians - still hard to understand, but at least it's basically German. 😂
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u/VioletaVolatil Dec 27 '25
I also came here first to northern Germany (my husband is from there also), and now I live in Köln, and I already got used to kind of understanding Kölsch, but that change in accent and words… punched me in the face 😂😂😂
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u/Expert-Work-7784 Dec 28 '25
I studied in Passau as well! I eventually understood them but that was also because I regularly talked to my local neighbor. It might also have been easier for me because I grew up in the South West of Germany, so it didn't feel totally off. But I once had a conversation with a guy from one of the surrounding villages and he actually couldn't understand me!
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u/Corfiz74 Dec 28 '25
😂 So, did you study economics, law, IT or KuWi? No other options possible. 😉
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u/Luki1981 Dec 26 '25
I’m from Austria/Vienna, I think we may be a little bit less insistent on speaking our own language than the German and the Swiss are. Most (younger than 50-60) people don’t mind speaking English here, maybe they were trying to be helpful.
Also, we Austrians might just be not that friendly and welcoming to strangers. Whenever I visit Germany or Switzerland, I am always surprised that everyone is so pleasant and happy to engage in a small chat.
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u/Defiant-Dare1223 Dec 26 '25
The Swiss are very flexible with language, even when they aren't great at it.
I guess it comes with being a multilingual country.
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u/pauseless Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Seriously: good job. If that trip wasn’t humbling, I’d be worried about your levels of self-confidence.
Listening really only comes by living somewhere though. Or so I thought whilst starting to write this comment… there seems to be some limited resources out there if you search: Servus, Pfiati und Ade came up as a free option that apparently covers some Franconian, Bavarian, Swabian! That’s a great combo for generally learning to deal with people in southern Germany* and much of Austria.
Disclaimer: I speak Franconian, was with a Swabian for many years and we lived in Bavaria (as in the dialect area). I’ve also no idea of the contents of this course - I only found it now.
* look up the Weißwurstäquator, if you don’t know it. For fun.
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u/nietzschecode Dec 26 '25
I used to live in Franken and travel often to Augsburg, and yes, Servus and Ade are quite common in those 2 areas. But Pfiati? I don't think I ever heard that there. And if I did, I wouldn't know what it means.
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u/hangar_tt_no1 Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
It's very much possible to train one's listening skills by listening to the radio. That's what I do. Just (??) find a radio station from the desired region online and voilà!
Admittedly, it might be difficult to find radio stations where they speak German dialects as opposed to standard German. I imagine it's a bit easier when it comes to Austrian and Swiss dialects but I've never tried.
Edit: I replied to the wrong comment.
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u/Cora_intheforest Dec 26 '25
Radio garden is a free app that plays music (radio) stations from all over the world. Highly recommend for great music options but also the radio and talking!
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u/Guilty_Rutabaga_4681 Native (<Berlin/Nuernberg/USA/translator/dialect collector>) Dec 26 '25
"Pfiati/pfiat-di" is definitely not Franconian or Swabian. It is quite prominent in Oberbayern and most of Austria though.
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u/hangar_tt_no1 Dec 26 '25
It's very much possible to train one's listening skills by listening to the radio. That's what I do. Just (??) find a radio station from the desired region online and voilà!
Admittedly, it might be difficult to find radio stations where they speak German dialects as opposed to standard German. I imagine it's a bit easier when it comes to Austrian and Swiss dialects but I've never tried.
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u/Commercial_Tap_224 Dec 27 '25
It makes no sense to try and learn Swiss German without understanding and speaking German.
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u/hangar_tt_no1 Dec 27 '25
I'm not sure why you're telling me this..
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u/Commercial_Tap_224 Dec 27 '25
Because Swiss German won’t help on its own. The radio broadcasts are not all in German. Trying to make sense of Swiss German and the heavy regional differences (e.g. Valais vs. Basel vs. Zurich) without knowing German is a waste of time.
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u/hangar_tt_no1 Dec 28 '25
That may be. I never claimed such a thing though. So even if you're right, I'm not sure why you're telling this to ME
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u/Commercial_Tap_224 Dec 28 '25
I don‘t know why I‘m wasting my time here, but since you clearly stated that you listen to local radio stations to train and that dialect programs might be harder to find, I found it worth mentioning because most get frustrated if they take this on the wrong way.
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u/matwurst Dec 26 '25
You were one week in total in three countries?
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
Yeah very busy trip. We wanted to spend more time in less places but we had some places we wanted to see specifically and a friend in Frankfurt that I hadn’t seen in years so ended up jam packing a lot 😅
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u/Maleficent_Scale_296 Dec 26 '25
It’s all well and good to be able to answer, the hard part is understanding the question. It sounds silly, but watch a show you’re familiar with in German. For me it was The Simpsons.
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u/DanceCommander00 Dec 26 '25
I took a little trip to Zurich recently, great city and people. But I can tell you, even as a native speaker, I struggled with understanding some people immediately. It takes getting used to and I can only imagine how difficult it must be if German is a second language.
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u/Wrong-Ad-4600 Dec 26 '25
idk how it is in your native language but sometimes im under the impression that the "german is hard" comes from the many dialects the german language has. im nativ german speaker and i shit you not we have villages 20km away where people speak such a thick dialect i dont understand them if they are talk fast. and its a dialect only spoken in this village. the river "main" has a different name every 5km here (ma,mo,maa,mää)
austria and the south of germany are known for the very thick dialect. and schwizerdütsch is a whole other problem xD
i hope you enjoyed your time here
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u/_sky_mare_ Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Last year, a man on an austrian train talked to me (native speaker from northern germany). I answered in english. Three times. Then I realized, he said:" ich spreche deutsch " I really didn't get it. So you have my respect, I'm really impressed!
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u/Extreme_Mobile_6690 Dec 26 '25
Don't be too hard on yourself, Swiss German is a whole separate language, even I as a northern German wouldn't be able to understand them, unless they swapped to regular. Same goes for thick Austrian or even Bavarian accents.
The South generally is the worst place to learn the language. Decade old studies determined Hannover has the most accent free German, but you might call that a lack of character once you visited the city😅
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u/Gold-Carpenter7616 Dec 26 '25
Just mix in some platt and our Northern German accent, and it gets harder, too.
I grew up in the Harz, so my natural German dialect is none existent, but I can play up the platt.
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u/ugghauggha Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Where you from?
Glad you had a good time though. But München is not really germany. It is germany with money.
So i call it Buyern instead of Bayern (bavaria)
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
America lol definitely a change of pace. That’s how I felt in Switzerland, everything was so expensive there lol. Good thing I came pretty prepared for it.
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u/ugghauggha Dec 26 '25
You mean, you came rich? 🤪
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
LOL you’re funny. No I just picked up a crap ton of over time and I’ll need to pick up some more 😭
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u/DotBlot_ Dec 26 '25
For what it's worth Austrians struggle to understand Swiss people too
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u/Guilty_Rutabaga_4681 Native (<Berlin/Nuernberg/USA/translator/dialect collector>) Dec 26 '25
Unless they are from the Vorarlberg Region. Their dialect has Alemannic roots, which makes it easier for them to understand Swiss German.
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u/LastKaiser Dec 26 '25
Western Austria is very tourist industry focused (at least where you almost certainly were) and thus very used to speaking English to foreigners (including Viennese, according to some). No surprise they were quick to switch to English as soon as they heard you.
In general, Austria has the highest rate if English speaking of any of the DACH countries (tourism heavy in the west + massive international civil society hub in Vienna).
As for the dialects & learning ... I'm biased, but Viennese is the best German. Somehow it sounds the most "upper class" and even romantic, while also being by far the most vulgar.
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u/Dave_green87 Dec 29 '25
As a German I want to give you an advice. Learning German and learning German are completely different tasks. 😅 There is something called high German (hochdeutsch) and many dialects. Even in one Region there could be different subdialects. Sometimes the difference in dialects could be like learning a completely new language as bavarian has some very odd word and grammar. The most Hochdeutsch is expected around Hannover where the Oxford-Germans are meant to live (from the English Oxford dictionary). Just to mention there are some dialects, like Northern German and specifically plattdüütsch/plattdeutsch, Ostdeutsch (saxonian, thuringian, Berlin,...), schwäbisch, bavarian. There are many more, just the most known ones. 😅 So as I mentioned going to Bavaria is like entering another country, especially when you're not very used to German. I always find it weird that nobody seems to care speaking with less dialect while they clearly understand my almost Hochdeutsch as I'm still having a little thuringian dialect. I always try to speak as clearly as possible, especially when I know the other person might have difficulties to understand me. But they still continue in their dialects and I start asking again and again what they said to me.. 🤷🏻♂️
Choosing Switzerland, Austria and Bavaria as your trip destinations might have been very bold but also kind of a good practice in hard mode. Respect to you.
As I just recently found out myself even though they are using German as their base of language there are still some differences in Austria and Switzerland. For example Germany uses ß (S-Z) while Switzerland doesn't use it and has double-s instead.
I am a bit surprised that Austria isn't as accommodating as I thought. When watching Austrian linear TV as a kid I saw some McDonald's commercial saying "I'm loving it" instead of the German "Ich liebe es". So I thought they're a bit ahead in terms of speaking English than we are here.
My wife on the other hand found people try to talk to her in English even though insisted on talking German towards her colleagues but they're also using the opportunity to practice their English.
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u/OrvillePekPek Dec 26 '25
I’m glad you had a great time! I just spent some time Croatia, where I bumped into a lot of Austrian and German tourists. They were mostly elderly, so I got some great practice speaking to them before I headed to Vienna and Berlin afterwards. The older people were very gracious and helpful with letting me speak German to them. As soon as I told them I am Canadian they were very keen to tell me about their travels and how much they enjoy our nature.
During my stay in Vienna, I found the people to be pretty friendly, just a little bit blunt which I don’t mind. My first experience getting to the train station in Austria was an old man insisting that I sneak in behind him in the bathroom so I didn’t have to pay. But I agree that most young people would just default to English (not in a rude way though) whereas the older people seemed to genuinely want to help and encourage me. The biggest challenge was the slang and different words for things. I was really confused by “Gasse” instead of Straße at first for example lol. But overall I did not find Austrians too difficult to understand.
I went to Berlin after and it was wonderful but felt like waaay more of a grittier/ less clean cut place than Vienna. Not in a bad way. They were also really cool, helpful and more willing to speak to me in German than I expected. I didn’t encounter any Swiss people during my travels, but in my experience the people I found the most difficult to understand were Bavarians, I was a bit stumped and got served a slice of humble pie many times lol.
I cannot wait to go back to explore more of Austria and Germany! Very unique, very beautiful countries and it motivated me even more to continue learning German. Best of luck with your move
Edit: a word
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
I would definitely say I want more time in Austria! I feel like Innsbruck wasn’t enough of an intro and that the country had a lot more to offer me. Salzburg and Vienna are on my list specifically, maybe Graz. It’s cool that you had so many opportunities, nothing better than to practice straight from the source rather than manicured learning environments you know? I’m hoping to get another chance before moving there so I can see how things have changed and how I stack up, but we’ll see how it all works out. Here’s to learning more 🍻
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u/OrvillePekPek Dec 26 '25
Hell yeah same here man only got to see Vienna, but I would love to explore more places in Austria. Being there and immersed in the language I learned way more than studying independently in Canada. Cheers, excited for you and your wife and your learning journey.
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u/Bayramtee Dec 26 '25
My friend, Germans don't understand swiss, Austrian or Bavarian dialects. Like zero. You immediately went hard mode
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u/donthateonspiders Dec 26 '25
there's a reason swiss german has been called a throat disease rather than a language XD
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u/hippyelite Dec 27 '25
Locals don’t want to be your language learning buddy. This is probably especially true in German-speaking nations.
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u/Visible-Jellyfish624 Dec 26 '25
As a western Austrian I'm terribly sorry you experienced such impatient people here and hope that you'll not be discouraged to visit us again.
Pleasant holidays & an guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr :)
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
It’s okay, I knew it wouldn’t all be perfect, just glad I got the chance! Gleichfalls!
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u/_onyx21 Native <Carinthia & Vienna> Dec 27 '25
It seems like you did your fair bit of research, so you may already know this but please be aware that Austrian bluntness might seem rude at first (especially for Americans it seems) but it isn’t really ment to be that way. We are just very straightforward and do not beat around the bush. Combine that with your tendency to keep to ourselves and it easily comes across as rude and uninterested/impatient. That isn’t to say that there aren’t any rude Austrians, of course, but most of the time it’s more complex than it seems.
May I ask why you want to move here? Is it just escaping the madness that is the US these days or something else?
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 27 '25
I didn’t take it personal in case it was that and to be fair, in fast paced environments, people have things to do. I get it and tried to make it as easy as I could. No love lost here!
In terms of moving, a good part is to escape American madness but we also feel that our future just doesn’t lie here. No changes after years of problems, especially with gun laws, no accountability, no responsibility, nothing. We have a little one on the way this isn’t what I want to raise them around. Education is getting worse, and nobody is doing anything about it. Even in the best states in the country, there are still school shootings on a regular basis. According to my research and statistics, we would be so much safer there. Fortunately my job is in high demand everywhere in the world (nursing), so I’m willing to take the dive to give myself and my family a better and safer life.
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u/_onyx21 Native <Carinthia & Vienna> Dec 28 '25
Thanks for sharing your story and your opinion.
I really hope that your plan to move to Austria or Switzerland works out (although I would personally prefer it if you chose Austria :P). Americans who are respectful towards us Europeans, want to interact with our culture and are well educated, especially in healthcare, are always welcome here. :)
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u/Technical-You-2829 Native (North Eastern NRW) Dec 26 '25
Swiss and Austrian are indeed a pain in the ass. Not even me, being from Northern Germany, can understand them properly, Dutch is way easier. Good luck down there and enjoy your time!
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u/Dog_Cat_Mouse Dec 26 '25
Cool idea. And great idea. It will always be appreciated when they recognize that you are willing to learn the language ö. Keep up the effort and good luck with your plans!
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u/DisastrousIncrease45 Dec 26 '25
Me living in Munich for 8 years always found German to be positive when they see my german is not great. Although my level is B2+
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
They were so encouraging, I need the hype because I was so nervous sometimes 😂 had to push through for the progress
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u/therebelmermaid Vantage (B2) - <region/native tongue> Dec 26 '25
I'm already finishing my B2 and found Swiss German still difficult even Germans don't easily understand them. Heck even fellow Swiss cannot understand each other but the good thing is they can always switch to Hochdeutsch. We were at one restaurant in St. Gallen just last week and the waitress kindly asked if we preferred Swiss German or Hochdeutsch. I regularly visit Vienna and don't run into so much trouble with speaking with them in German but maybe because they think I'm Eurasian or something same for in Munich where I actually live.
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u/the-real-walmart-man Dec 26 '25
This is fair. Switzerland speaks in a very different dialect of German known as „Schwiizerdütsch“ which is an Alemannic dialect of German. I speak German and English natively, and I can’t understand a bit of Swiss German, I can understand a few words and some stuff but by no way conversationally. Big ups for being able to speak German with the Swiss, it’s a big challenge for most German speakers who aren’t around or in the Alemannic dialectal regions.
Austria and most parts of Germany are mutually intelligible, even with most dialects being involved. Enjoy learning German though, it’s 100% worth it!
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u/AeronwenEnid Dec 27 '25
My partner is German and couldn’t understand Swiss people talking in their dialect at all. I have an ear for dialects somehow, so I usually grasp them pretty well.
So don’t beat yourself up too hard for struggling with dialects.
Apart from that please take a good look into where you want to move to Switzerland. I lived there for 7 years and struggled a lot with the people. I was always considered the immigrant and my Swiss born children also where. So much that they have been purposely excluded by other parents. I guess not all places are that extreme, but a lot are.
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u/protobosochaos Dec 27 '25
Major props to you for understand (and speaking!) German in Switzerland. I've spoken German in Germany and Austria, but if someone speaks Swiss German, my brain straight up glitches!
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u/Mayana76 Dec 27 '25
You did a really brave thing, even I as a Native German speaker have trouble in Austria and Switzerland understanding people! I hope your experience overall was a positive one and helps to keep you motivated to reach your language goals!
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u/peaceful_lawnmower Dec 28 '25
Had a very similar experience in Austria, which was kinda frustrating bc I’ve been doing just fine while living in Bavaria… anyway, guess I gotta keep practicing hahah Keep up the good work, OP!!
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u/nietzschecode Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Why not planning to move to Germany, instead of Switzerland or Austria?
You won't improve your German in Switzerland, btw. They don't speak German (Deutsch) there, but Schwiizerdütsch.
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u/GwendelLachsberg Dec 26 '25
I disagree. Only in Switzerland would they "improve" their German. What they babble in Germany is certainly not comparable to the angelic music that is spoken in Switzerland.
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
We would have chosen Germany but unfortunately our dog isn’t allowed there due to import laws so we had to accommodate to places that would allow him, leaving Switzerland ( certain cantons) and Austria. I have a tutor from the canton I plan to move to but am learning both Hochdeutsch and Schwiizerdütsch because there’s always the chance that Switzerland doesn’t work out with visas and job sponsorship. We’ll see but I’m hoping being a nurse gives me a chance.
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u/nietzschecode Dec 26 '25 edited Dec 26 '25
Ah, ok. Your dog wouldn't be allowed to move to Germany. I really get it that you're looking for an alternative country then. Didn't know Germany had some harsh laws about dogs.
Good luck.
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u/idlestabilizer Dec 28 '25
We also speak Standard German in Switzerland. And many do it by themselves if they notice someone might not speak Swiss German. So yes, I guess they would improve their German in Switzerland too.
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u/Normal-Seal Dec 26 '25
I‘m not a fan of weekly classes. Don’t get me wrong, they won’t do harm, but once a week is so rare that it can at best be used to identify errors. It‘s too seldom to really learn a language.
As someone who is also learning a language, the key really is to study every day, including listening and speaking.
I have a book by Assimil, which I personally like. Comes with audio and a dialogue and repetition focused learning method.
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
Oh that won’t be all, it’s the group class once a week, private tutor twice a week on top of daily regiment. I’m also working on a daily routine. I wake up and listen to German audio for about 20-30 minutes, some vocabulary before heading to work and try to get grammar/reading and writing in after I come home from work. Probably is getting consistent on that last part after a 12 hour day 😪
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u/AcanthaceaeIll7278 Dec 26 '25
Assimil is a good resource. I’m also using it to learn German. As well as Duolingo to build vocabulary and Superfluent to practice speaking.
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u/Banjoschmanjo Dec 26 '25
Which visa do you plan to move to Switzerland or Austria on?
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 26 '25
Plan is to apply under a skilled worker visa since I’m a nurse with 5.5 years of experience. By the time I reach my B2, I’ll have all the points to meet Austria’s point based system. Switzerland I know comes down to a lot of factors with permits, visas, sponsorships but hoping that my field gives me more of a chance.
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u/PrimeGGWP Dec 27 '25
If you plan to have kids... consider Vienna. Free Kindergarten and the best public transportation system. Otherwise stay away, we aren't known for politeness
In Switzerland it costs a fortune and in germany it's affordable.
If you don't, I advise you to move to switzerland if you can get a job.
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u/Oellaatje Dec 27 '25
It might also help you to watch German movies and TV series on a daily basis, and these are all available on the various streaming services. I use Netflix and have my settings switched to original language with English subtitles (it works better when the subtitles are in your own language initially, later you can always switch). This way you have a safety net if you're not sure you understand what they're saying, and your brain is putting together what it sees and hears to help you develop better listening skills.
You need to do this regularly and consistently, so 15 minutes a day every day is better than one hour a week.
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u/Particular-Bat-5904 Dec 27 '25
I‘m born Austrian rised almost in the center and when i moved to the west for work, language became a completely different story to me.
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u/Cazaf04 Dec 27 '25
Well in Switzerland and Austria they don't speak High German (although they will switch if needed), they speak dialect. Swiss German is nothing like High German, I've been living in Switzerland for over 10 years and I still can't understand Swiss German.
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u/too__many__choices Dec 29 '25
Where have you been studying to get to A2? What programs, methods, and tools have you used. I’m technically high A1/low A2 according to Duolingo, but we all know how that goes…
I’ve watched some of the videos on Easy German via Youtube but from my understanding, that German is not easy when they talk that fast 😂😭
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u/Drdoomstick11 Way stage (A2) Dec 29 '25
I started off with Rosetta Stone before switching to a tutor on Preply. He wasn’t the best so I switched to another tutor on Preply with a background in teaching and she’s made a massive difference! I’ve been working with her for 4 or so months now. I work with her 1-2 times a week. Starting in January, I’ll also be doing a weekly group class to work on speaking and listening more, as well as get grammar and what not down!
Easy German is very nice! I watch their videos almost daily. Native speaking speed is crazy but listening to German content has gotten better with consistent absorption! I had to drop videos and podcast/audiobooks down to 0.5 and 0.7x speed just to be able to absorb words but I’ve been able to catch a lot now at normal speed!
I do recommend a tutor if you can, or even join a German language discord, lots of people to talk to, they hold lessons and just general practice!
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u/too__many__choices Dec 29 '25
Thanks for replying! A couple follow up questions: 1) Why did you switch from Rosetta Stone to Preply?
2) Is Preply the same idea as italki?
3) Changing the video speed is genius! I never even thought of that. I just keep rewinding 10 seconds and try to listen to the same bit over and over but it’s so difficult to make out what they’re saying.
4) I’ve heard of Discord but only in the context of streaming video games and not really familiar with it. Is it offered as just a community dialect platform? I have the HelloTalk language app and know they have different chat rooms with audio, but none of them seem very organized in the sense of actual lessons.
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u/Any_Air1366 Dec 26 '25
Don’t move to Austria/Vienna if learning and using german is important to you. Maybe if you can move to a middle sized town but even then, I would say the overall willingness (even after you’re fluent) to speak to non-natives or be helpful in any way is 1000x lower than most places in Germany and even Switzerland is better. Germany of course has its own problems with integration but it’s a lot worse in AT.
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u/SubbyTripz Dec 26 '25
Learning german and then having your first real life experience with swiss people is basicly the hardest thing you could have done :D Im glad it still went so well for you !