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How to Greet a Hiker in Swiss German

In the mood of a recent post about hiking in Switzerland I thought it fitting to introduce a basic Swiss German hiking vocabulary. Indeed, in Switzerland it is customary for hikers to greet each other when crossing or overtaking another hiker.

Now, you can definitely hike in Switzerland without knowing any Swiss German but I think it's still nice to be able to greet the people you'll meet on the trails with a local greeting, wouldn't you agree?!

How to Greet a Hiker in Switzerland

Grüezi - formal greeting, polite greeting, is used for strangers, can be used any time of the day
Guete Morge - good morning
Guete Tag - good day
Guete Abig - good evening
Hoi - hi, hello, informal greeting for friends or young people in general
Hallo - hi, hello, informal greetings for friends or young people in general
Hoi zäme - hello all, informal greeting for a group of friends or young people

How to Converse at Lunch Hour

Chances are you'll be sharing your lunch or picnic spot with a few more people. It is customary for Swiss people to wish each other a nice meal or an enjoyable meal before starting to eat.

En Guete - bon appetit, enjoy your meal
Zum Wohl - to your health, used in the same way as En Guete
Proscht - cheers, chin chin, used for drinks, in the hiking context also for non-alcoholic drinks

More Swiss German Hiking Vocabulary


Lunch - lunch, meal out of your backpack
Rucksack - backpack
wandere - hiking 
Wanderig - hike
Wanderschueh - hiking boots
Wanderwäg - hiking trail
(Wander-)Charte - hiking map, trail map
take a rest on your hiking trail - Petra Dirscherl  / pixelio.de 


© 2014 IRENE WYRSCH "A HUMOROUS GUIDE TO SWITZERLAND" ALL RIGHTS RESERVED
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Comments

  1. KozueJuly 16, 2014 at 10:09 AM

    Very interesting. Simple greetings are so good to communicate with people in a foreign country. Friendship starts from saying "Hello!" in the language of the locals. Thanks!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Irene WyrschJuly 17, 2014 at 3:37 AM

      I agree. Knowing the basic greetings in the local language will always open doors...

      Delete

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