There are four languages spoken in Switzerland - German, French, Italian, and Romansh. French is spoken in the western part of the country, which is, you guessed it, the area that borders France. If you have already learned about the French spoken in Belgium and Quebec, you are probably thinking that there are some differences between Swiss French and Standard French. And you are right! Since Switzerland is so close to France, the French spoken there is not so different that you won’t understand it.

In fact, probably due to shared Germanic influences, the French spoken in Switzerland has some important things in common with Belgian French.

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4 Big Differences: Swiss French vs Regular French
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1. Numbers

Students of French are often baffled by the names for numbers 70-99. For some of us, who hate math, it is extremely aggravating! In case you haven’t learned these numbers yet, they are:

70 = soixante-dix
80 = quatre-vingt
90 = quatre-vingt-dix

What’s more is that you have to add either numbers in the tens or the single digits to count higher.

71 = soixante-onze
80 = quatre-vingt-un
90 = quatre-vingt-onze

Happily, the Swiss numbers for 70 and 90 are the same, logical words as they use in Belgium.

70 = septante
90 = nonante

And there is no math involved if you want to count higher. You simply say:

71 = septante et un;
72 septante deux, etc.
91 = nonante et un;
92 = nonante deux, etc.

But wait, it gets better! They take it one step further than the Belgians. Instead of using quatre-vingt for 80, they say huitante. To count higher you say:

81 = huitante et un,
82 = huitante deux, etc.

Thank you Switzerland for having what seem to be the most logical numbers in all of Francophonie.
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2. Word meanings

As with different dialects in any language, there are some differences in word meanings between Swiss French and Standard French that go beyond the names for numbers. Two of the more common differences are they way you say a formal you’re welcome and bless you. In France, the polite response to give when someone says merci is je vous en prie/je t’en prie, but in Switzerland you will hear simply service, a shortened version of à votre service (at your service). In France, bless you is said à vos souhaits/à tes souhaits, but in Switzerland, a short santé does the job!

The word for cell phone is not portable in Swiss French. Instead they use the word natel, which was an acronym used for the Swiss mobile network.The Swiss are also a little more accepting of franglais, or the use of anglicisms in their French. For example, even though they say le parking in France for parking lot, the verb you use for to park is garer. In Swiss French however, you can use the verb parquer, c’est logic!

Meals are also called by different names than in Standard French, and you will see that they are similar to Belgian French.

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3. Accent

The Swiss French accent will come as a breath of fresh air to beginning students. In France, they tend to smash syllables together and sometimes transform the sound of a word or phrase into something sounding much different. For example, je suis can end up sounding like shwee and je ne sais pas can be transformed into chez pas.

‍If you visit Switzerland, you are likely to hear well articulated French instead of mashed up French like that above. This can be especially helpful to new students who have not yet developed an ear for the language. I know that my beginning and even intermediate students appreciated it when I say each syllable and pronounce everything that is supposed to be pronounced when I speak to them!
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4. Optimism

The French culture is not known for being an optimistic one. In fact, we poke all sorts of fun at the stereotype that French people are logical, unexcitable, and suffering from Sexy French Depression. In fact, one of the things that has always bothered me about French is that there is no real way to say that you are looking forward to something.

When my American students ask me how to say it, the best I can do is tell them the expression avoir hâte de which really means to be impatient about. It is close, but not really the same thing. I can be impatient about having jury duty, but that doesn’t mean I am looking forward to it.But in Switzerland, they use the expression se réjouir de which mean to be delighted about or to look forward to.

So you can say je me rejouis de… to say you are looking forward to something, like your next French lesson!