Swiss French is the French of Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchâtel, and the rest of French-speaking Switzerland, called Romandy. Most French apps don't say which French they teach, and none we checked has a course for the Swiss kind. Here is what each app gives you, and what to add for Swiss words.
The grammar is the same as in France. What changes is a short list of words and numbers. A Swiss shopper asks for a cornet, a plastic bag, and a Swiss speaker says service for "you're welcome". For tutors, Swiss TV, and tests, see the best ways to learn Swiss French. For apps that cover French as a whole, see our French app comparison.
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.
To learn it in Bubblegum, pick French, then Switzerland under More Varieties.
Bubblegum focuses on reading and listening more than speaking, so for conversation, try a tutor or partner from Switzerland.
- Lessons are written in Swiss French, with septante and nonante for 70 and 90, prices in francs, and Swiss meal words.
- Ask Poppy about a word while you read, like why a Swiss speaker says souper for dinner.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki as flashcards.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- The read-aloud voices are standard French voices with no Swiss voices of their own, so listen to Swiss radio and TV too.
- Words differ from canton to canton, so a lesson may use one Swiss choice where your town uses another.
- 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
These courses teach French in general. Their pages don't mention Swiss French, so use them for grammar and basic words, and learn the Swiss ones from Swiss lessons and media.
Duolingo
Duolingo suits learners who like small goals while the basics settle in. Its App Store listing doesn't say which variety of French it teaches.
- A free app with quick, bite-sized lessons in speaking, reading, listening, and writing.
MobileWeb
Busuu
Busuu has a French pronunciation course too. Nothing on its French page points to a Swiss option.
- More than 330 lessons in the Complete French course, from A1 to B2.
- A free version, and a Premium version with more.
MobileWeb
Babbel
Babbel's French page describes France as a place to travel, and it doesn't list a Swiss course.
- Short lessons you can try for free.
- Lessons built around real-life conversations.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Pimsleur
Pimsleur's French page counts speakers in France and Canada and doesn't mention Switzerland. Try a free lesson to hear the accent before you commit.
- Lessons of about 30 minutes that you can listen to anywhere.
- A 7-day free trial.
MobileWeb
Mango Languages
Mango suits learners who want to hear every word spoken and compare it with their own voice.
- Every word spoken as people say it, with a voice comparison tool for your own recording.
- A voice comparison tool plays your recording next to the lesson's audio.
- Flashcards
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (3)
- uTalkWords and phrases recorded by French speakers. You choose standard French or Canadian French when you start, and Switzerland appears on its page only as a country where French is spoken.
- Play RTSThe streaming site and app from Radio Télévision Suisse, with documentaries, series, films, news, and sports in Swiss French. 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. It also has an app.
A French course teaches the grammar, and your Swiss words come from Swiss sources. Bubblegum's lessons use them from the start, and Play RTS and RTS Info show them in real speech and news. The words that surprise learners most are the numbers, so ask for a lesson on prices at a market, where you'd hear septante and nonante.
Tutors and exchange apps such as Preply let you filter for people born in Switzerland. Our Swiss French resource guide lists them with the other ways to practice.
Each number is how many languages you can use the app in, including script variants. The Swiss sources are in French.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Full list
|
| Duolingo | 33 | Full list |
| Busuu | 15 | Full list |
| Babbel | 9 | Full list |
| Pimsleur | 3 | Full list |
| Mango Languages | 2 | Full list |
| uTalk | 1 | Full list |
| Play RTS | 1 | Full list |
| RTS Info | 1 | Full list |
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 Busuu's free version to learn basic French grammar, and add Play RTS once you can follow short clips. For a full path, see the best way to learn Swiss French.
Do the big French apps teach Swiss French?
None of the pages we checked says so. Mango and Busuu don't name a variety, and uTalk offers standard and Canadian French. Their grammar and verbs are the same as in Switzerland, so they help, and the Swiss words come from the sources above.
Does Swiss French use different grammar?
No. Bubblegum's lessons keep standard French grammar, and the differences are in words, numbers, and sound. Swiss speakers tell long and short vowels apart more clearly than French speakers in France do.
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 (cornet, panosse, service, natel; septante, huitante and nonante)
- Busuu: Learn French online (Complete French course, 330+ lessons, A1 to B2; free and Premium versions)
- Babbel: how to speak French (the first lesson of every course is free)
- Pimsleur: learn French (30-minute lessons, 7-day free trial; counts speakers in France and Canada)
- Mango Languages: French (native-speaker audio and a voice comparison tool; no variety named)
- uTalk: French (teaches standard and Canadian French)
- Play RTS (Radio Télévision Suisse's streaming site; many titles only play in Switzerland)
- RTS Info (news in text, video and audio, with sections for Vaud, Genève, Valais, Fribourg, Neuchâtel and Jura)
- Preply: French tutors (country of birth filter)
- Duolingo: what the free course covers (the course goes up to B2)
- Duolingo: iPhone App Store listing (its description doesn't name a variety of French; languages you can use it in)
- Busuu: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Babbel: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Pimsleur: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Mango Languages: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- uTalk: 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
- Duolingo
- Babbel
- Pimsleur
