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← Phrase guide ☏
Phrase guide

German phrases for your Switzerland trip

Content updated 1 Nov 2026 Facts last checked 1 Nov 2026
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The short answer

English carries you far in Switzerland, but signs, menus and ticket machines in the mountains run German-first in the north and east, French around Geneva and Lausanne, and Italian in Ticino. A friendly Gruezi changes how people treat you. These 24 lines cover greetings, help, food, directions, shopping and emergencies, each written as it sounds, with Hindi meanings and the five that matter most marked.

The five phrases that matter most

Gruezi
GRUE-tsi
Hello (Swiss greeting)
नमस्ते / हेलो
Bitte
BIT-teh
Please
कृपया
Merci vilmal
MER-see FEEL-mal
Thank you (Swiss style)
धन्यवाद
Sprechen Sie Englisch?
SHPREH-khen zee ENG-lish
Do you speak English?
क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
Ich bin Vegetarier
ikh bin veh-geh-TAH-ree-er
I am vegetarian
मैं शाकाहारी हूँ

All the phrases

Greetings and thanks

EnglishLocal scriptHow to say itहिन्दी
Hello (Swiss greeting) Gruezi GRUE-tsi नमस्ते / हेलो
Good morning Guete Morge GOO-eh-teh MOR-geh सुप्रभात
Good evening Gueten Abig GOO-eh-ten AH-big शुभ संध्या
Goodbye Uf Wiederluege oof VEE-der-lue-eh-geh अलविदा
Please Bitte BIT-teh कृपया
Thank you (Swiss style) Merci vilmal MER-see FEEL-mal धन्यवाद
Excuse me / sorry Entschuldigung ent-SHOOL-di-goong माफ़ कीजिए
Yes / No Ja / Nein yah / nine हाँ / नहीं

Getting help

EnglishLocal scriptHow to say itहिन्दी
Do you speak English? Sprechen Sie Englisch? SHPREH-khen zee ENG-lish क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
I do not understand Ich verstehe nicht ikh fer-SHTAY-eh nikht मैं समझा/समझी नहीं
I need a doctor Ich brauche einen Arzt ikh BROW-kheh EYE-nen ARTST मुझे डॉक्टर चाहिए
Where is the toilet? Wo ist die Toilette? vo ist dee twa-LET-teh शौचालय कहाँ है?

Food (vegetarian, Jain, allergies)

EnglishLocal scriptHow to say itहिन्दी
I am vegetarian Ich bin Vegetarier ikh bin veh-geh-TAH-ree-er मैं शाकाहारी हूँ
Without meat Ohne Fleisch OH-neh flysh बिना माँस के
The bill, please Die Rechnung, bitte dee RYSH-noong BIT-teh बिल लाइए, कृपया
Water, please Wasser, bitte VASS-er BIT-teh पानी दीजिए, कृपया
A table for four, please Einen Tisch fur vier, bitte EYE-nen tish fuer FEER BIT-teh चार लोगों के लिए मेज़, कृपया

Directions and transport

EnglishLocal scriptHow to say itहिन्दी
Where is the station? Wo ist der Bahnhof? vo ist der BAHN-hohf स्टेशन कहाँ है?
Left / right Links / rechts links / rekhts बाएँ / दाएँ
Which platform? Von welchem Gleis? fon VEL-khem glice कौन सा प्लेटफ़ॉर्म?
Two tickets to Interlaken, please Zwei Tickets nach Interlaken, bitte tsvy TIK-ets nahkh IN-ter-lah-ken BIT-teh इंटरलेकन के दो टिकट, कृपया

Shopping and numbers

EnglishLocal scriptHow to say itहिन्दी
How much does this cost? Was kostet das? vas KOS-tet das इसकी कीमत क्या है?
Can I pay by card? Kann ich mit Karte zahlen? kan ikh mit KAR-teh TSAH-len क्या मैं कार्ड से भुगतान कर सकता/सकती हूँ?

Emergency

EnglishLocal scriptHow to say itहिन्दी
Help! Hilfe! HIL-feh मदद!

Save or print

Save the top phrases as a picture to send to your parents, or print the whole sheet.

The five phrases that matter most
Hello (Swiss greeting) / नमस्ते / हेलो
Gruezi (GRUE-tsi)
Please / कृपया
Bitte (BIT-teh)
Thank you (Swiss style) / धन्यवाद
Merci vilmal (MER-see FEEL-mal)
Do you speak English? / क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?
Sprechen Sie Englisch? (SHPREH-khen zee ENG-lish)
I am vegetarian / मैं शाकाहारी हूँ
Ich bin Vegetarier (ikh bin veh-geh-TAH-ree-er)

Trips to Switzerland

We have no open trip to Switzerland right now. Tell us your dates and we will help you find one.

Quick questions

Do I need to speak German to travel in Switzerland?

Not for the main tourist route - hotels, stations, cable cars and attractions work in English, and the Swiss speak it well. But mountain menus, markets and small villages are local-language first, and a Gruezi and Merci open doors. These phrases cover the moments English does not.

Which five phrases matter most?

We mark five at the top: Gruezi (hello), Bitte (please), Merci vilmal (thank you, Swiss style), Sprechen Sie Englisch? (do you speak English?) and Ich bin Vegetarier (I am vegetarian). With these plus pointing, a family manages almost every situation on a first trip.

What about the French and Italian parts of Switzerland?

Around Geneva, Lausanne and Montreux the language is French - Bonjour (hello) and Merci (thank you) go a long way. In Ticino and the Engadine valleys it is Italian - Grazie (thank you). Signs and announcements switch languages as the train crosses the country, which children find fun to spot.

Is Swiss German different from German?

Yes - spoken Swiss German is its own family of dialects, but everything written (menus, tickets, signs) is standard German, and everyone understands it. The phrases here are standard German with the Swiss touches you will actually hear: Gruezi for hello and Merci vilmal for thank you.

Should I carry cash or pay by card in Switzerland?

Card works almost everywhere, even for small amounts, but carry some Swiss francs for mountain huts, small cafes, lockers and market stalls. Kann ich mit Karte zahlen? (can I pay by card?) is the phrase to keep ready.

Sources

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