Much Swiss French input comes from Radio Télévision Suisse (RTS), and its pages mark many shows as playing only in Switzerland, so where you live changes what you can watch. French at a level you can mostly follow is called comprehensible input.
Good material for you has one new word now and then, and the rest is clear. When a Swiss speaker says dîner and the scene shows lunch on the table, you learn that the word means lunch here, with no dictionary. For tutors and courses, see our Swiss French guide.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn French. You learn from French you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Swiss French lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
If a word like natel (a mobile phone) stops you, she explains it.
Bubblegum only plays its own lessons. For Swiss radio and news, use the sources below.
- Lessons and stories in Swiss French, about things you like.
- Prices in francs, septante and nonante, and Swiss meal words.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, so you read them again in new contexts.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- It can't load a show or an audiobook you already have.
- The read-aloud voices are standard French voices with no Swiss voices of their own.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
LingQ
Copy an article from RTS Info into LingQ, and read it there.
- Import a Swiss article as a custom lesson.
- Save the words you look up as LingQs.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- Play RTSRadio Télévision Suisse's streaming site and app, with documentaries, series, films, news, and sports. Many titles are marked as playing only in Switzerland.
- RTS InfoSwiss and world news in text, video, and audio, with local sections for Vaud, Genève, Valais, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, and Jura.
- swissinfo.chThe French edition of a Swiss international news site, with articles, video, and podcasts. It belongs to the public broadcaster SRG SSR.
Start at the top if you're new, and skip the rows marked Switzerland only if you live somewhere else.
| What | Why It Helps | Try It When |
|---|---|---|
| Play RTS, Jeunesse section (Switzerland only for some titles) | Series sorted by age: 3 to 6, 7 to 9, and 10 to 12 | You're just starting |
| swissinfo.ch | Swiss news articles, video, and podcasts from the public broadcaster SRG SSR | You know some basics |
| RTS Info | News from Vaud, Genève, Valais, Fribourg, Neuchâtel, and Jura, in text, video, and audio | Short news pieces feel easy |
| Le Point J | An RTS Info podcast that takes one news subject per episode | You're at an intermediate level |
| Crimes suisses | Stories of criminal cases that marked Switzerland | You follow most of a long story |
| Play RTS (Switzerland only for some titles) | Documentaries, series, and films for longer scenes | Most Swiss speech feels easy |
Each number is how many languages you can use the app in, including script variants. The Swiss sites are in French.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Full list
|
| LingQ | 17 | Full list |
| Play RTS | 1 | Full list |
| RTS Info | 1 | Full list |
| swissinfo.ch | — | — |
Which Swiss French app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning French, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with the Jeunesse series on Play RTS if you live in Switzerland, since children's shows use simple words.
Can I use Play RTS outside Switzerland?
Only some of it. Its pages mark many titles as available only from Switzerland, so try a title before you plan around it. We saw no such notice on swissinfo.ch or the RTS audio and podcast page.
Will Swiss French input sound different from the French of France?
A little. Swiss speakers say septante and nonante for 70 and 90, and they use meal words differently, like souper for dinner. The rest is the same French, so shows from France also work for practice.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Bubblegum: French (Switzerland)
- Wikipedia: Swiss French (septante, nonante, huitante; déjeuner, dîner, souper; natel)
- Play RTS (many titles only play in Switzerland)
- Play RTS: Jeunesse section (series for ages 3 to 6, 7 to 9, and 10 to 12)
- RTS audio and podcasts (stations, live radio, podcasts such as Crimes suisses and Le Point J)
- RTS Info (Swiss and world news; sections for Vaud, Genève, Valais, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Jura; audio and video)
- swissinfo.ch French edition (articles, video and podcasts; part of SRG SSR)
- LingQ: free and premium plans (20 saved words and 5 imported lessons on the free plan)
- LingQ: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Play RTS: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- RTS Info: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Bubblegum
- LingQ
