Swiss Standard German is the one to learn if you'll read, write, and work in German-speaking Switzerland. It's the German Swiss people use in books, newspapers, school, and the news. In everyday talk, people speak Swiss German dialects, which sound very different. Many German apps don't say which German they teach. Our German app comparison covers apps for any kind of German.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn German. You learn from German you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, that you're starting a job in Zürich. She writes you a lesson at your level about reading your first email at work. Ask her what any line means, like why a coworker writes Billett for a ticket.
Bubblegum focuses on reading and listening more than speaking, so for speaking practice, try a tutor or partner in Practice With People From Switzerland.
- Lessons are in Swiss Standard German, with Swiss spelling, like Strasse with no ß, and Swiss words, like Velo for a bicycle.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Lessons are read aloud in standard German, not a Swiss accent, so listen to Swiss radio and TV too.
- Lessons teach Swiss Standard German, not the Swiss German dialects people speak every day.
- 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
Preply
Ask a tutor from Switzerland to teach the German you'd read at work, and to explain Swiss words like Velo. Say you want standard German, since some Swiss tutors also teach the dialect.
- Filter German tutors by country of birth, and look for Switzerland.
- Book one-to-one lessons over video.
MobileWeb
italki
Tell your teacher you want Swiss Standard German, not the dialect, so the examples fit what you'll read and write.
- Use the Teachers from filter to look for German teachers from Switzerland.
- Pick a lesson time that suits you both.
MobileWeb
Tandem
On Tandem, you help someone with your language while they help you with German. Members in Switzerland list German and Swiss German, so say you want standard German.
- Tandem lists members in Zürich, Lucerne, and Baden.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video.
MobileWeb
LernLaterne has a Swiss High German page with stories and dialogs to read and listen to, plus grammar units. The page says its Swiss course is coming soon and doesn't say which German the texts use. The free plan has 4 stories or dialogs and 4 grammar units, and all 140 texts with audio are in the paid plan.
SRF Play, from Switzerland's German-language public broadcaster, streams shows and news. Its pages mark some titles as playing only in Switzerland. For a Swiss language test, fide has information on the Swiss language test and language passport.
uTalk's Swiss German course teaches the Bernese dialect, not Swiss Standard German, so it fits talking with neighbors more than reading and writing.
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | 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. |
| Preply | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each tutor sets their own price. If your first tutor isn't a good fit, you can try two more for free. |
| italki | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each teacher sets their own price. Practicing with the community and taking the level test are free. |
| Tandem | Free version | Signing up is free, and Tandem reviews each new member first. Many features are free, and Tandem Pro gives you all of them. |
Try one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 74 | Supported language pairs |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Tandem | 14 | App Store |
Which Swiss Standard German app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning German, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with a tutor from Switzerland if you'd like to hear Swiss words from the first lesson.
Is Swiss Standard German different from Swiss German?
Yes. Swiss Standard German is mainly written, and people speak it in formal places like the news and classrooms. In everyday life, German-speaking Swiss people use their local Swiss German dialect, which sounds very different. Swiss Standard German also drops the ß and writes ss, so it's Strasse, and it has words like Velo for a bicycle.
Will people in Germany understand Swiss Standard German?
Yes. It's standard German with a few Swiss words and spellings, so what you learn here works in Germany too.
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
- Wikipedia: Swiss Standard German (mainly written; no ß; Billett, Velo, Spital)
- Bubblegum: German (Switzerland)
- LernLaterne: Learn Swiss High German (stories, dialogs and grammar units; free and paid plans; course coming soon)
- Preply: German tutors (country of birth filter; prices by tutor nationality include Switzerland)
- italki: German teachers (Teachers from filter)
- Tandem: language exchange in Switzerland (members in Zürich, Lucerne and Baden, offering German and Swiss German)
- SRF Play: Swiss German-language public broadcaster's streaming site (some titles only play in Switzerland)
- fide: Swiss language test and language passport
- uTalk: its Swiss German course teaches the Bernese dialect
- Preply: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tandem: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: what's free
- Tandem: what's free
- Bubblegum
- Tandem
