The fastest way to learn Swiss Standard German is to spend most of your study time on Swiss Standard German you can mostly understand. You'll see it called comprehensible input. The plan below lists resources for each level and how to divide an hour.
Find the level that sounds like you. Its bar shows how to spend an hour of study.
- Level 1
I'm just starting out or know only a few words.
- Read and listen 35 min
- Review 15 min
- Speak 10 min
Choose one of two ways to start. The easiest way is Bubblegum, where Poppy, your AI tutor, writes short Swiss Standard German lessons at your level about your interests and goals and explains the grammar as you go. The other way is a textbook. Get Colloquial German and work through one lesson at a time, reading each dialogue while you play its free audio from the Routledge website. The book teaches standard German in general, so Swiss words come from Bubblegum and Swiss media. Plan on a few weeks of hard study to learn the basic grammar before you start using apps.
- Level 2
I can read simple sentences.
- Read and listen 40 min
- Review 10 min
- Speak 10 min
If you use Bubblegum, read its Level 2 lessons with the translation hidden, and look up only the words that stop you. If you use a textbook, try Colloquial German 2, the second book in the series, and play its free audio from the Routledge website as you read. Watch SRF Kids videos for short, clear Swiss clips.
- Level 3
I can read short stories and messages.
- Read and listen 40 min
- Review 5 min
- Speak 15 min
At this level you need more words, so read and listen a lot. Bubblegum reuses the words you saved in new Level 3 lessons. Read a short Swiss news piece on swissinfo.ch, and talk about it with a tutor from Switzerland.
- Level 4
I can read longer texts about everyday life.
- Read and watch 45 min
- Review 5 min
- Speak 10 min
Listen to the 15-minute News Plus podcast from SRF News, and read its topic afterward. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 4 about things you're into.
- Level 5
I can follow complex topics, but miss some details.
- Read and watch 50 min
- Speak 10 min
Watch Swiss news and documentaries, and guess new words from the scene before you check them. Poppy can write your Level 5 lessons about anything you're into.
- Level 6
I can read almost anything.
- Read and watch 50 min
- Speak 10 min
Read Swiss news in full and Swiss books, and talk about them with friends from Switzerland. Read Bubblegum lessons at Level 6 about the things you care about too.
Think of these splits as a starting sketch. Move up once a level's lessons stop stretching you, and back if you can't tell what's happening by the third line.
Swiss Standard German is standard German with Swiss spelling and words, so the hours for German apply. German takes about 828 class hours to reach professional fluency, according to the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, which puts German in its second group for English speakers. The Goethe-Institut estimates about 150 to 260 hours of instruction to complete level A2 and 260 to 490 hours to complete B1. The table uses the top of each range.
| Study Per Week | Goethe A2 (260 Hours) | Goethe B1 (490 Hours) | FSI Professional Fluency (828 Hours) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3½ hours | About 17 months | About 2⅔ years | About 4½ years |
| 7 hours | About 8½ months | About 16 months | About 2¼ years |
| 14 hours | About 4 months | About 8 months | About 14 months |
| 28 hours | About 2 months | About 4 months | About 7 months |
These are class hours for German in general, so the table shows the size of the workload, and study on your own will take a different number of hours.
- Only Germany's SpellingIf every text you read is from Germany, Swiss spelling looks wrong at first. Mix in Swiss texts from your first weeks, so Strasse looks normal.
- Mixing Up the DialectSwiss German dialects are spoken, and they differ from the standard language you read and write. Check which one a show or course uses.
- Word Lists by ThemselvesA word list gives meanings, but not the Swiss choice. Learn each one from a short line with audio, and review the line.
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, your level and what you like, and she writes your Swiss Standard German 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.
- 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
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. Our Swiss Standard German comparison also covers courses, tutors, and the Swiss German dialect courses.
Can I Learn Swiss Standard German in Three Months?
Three months is about 13 weeks, so at 3 to 5 hours a week you study for about 39 to 65 hours. That is less than half of the 150 to 260 hours the Goethe-Institut gives for completing A2. Pick a goal you can check, such as buying a Billett at a station.
How Much Should I Study Swiss Standard German Each Week?
Plan three to five hours a week of Swiss Standard German you can follow, with each session at least 15 to 30 minutes long. Longer sittings leave room for a full podcast episode or a news story from start to finish.
Is Swiss Standard German Hard for English Speakers?
German is in the middle by the Foreign Service Institute's measure, so it takes longer than Spanish and less time than Russian. Swiss Standard German adds little on top: a few words like Velo and spelling with ss. The bigger gap is that people in Switzerland speak dialects in everyday life.
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)
- U.S. Department of State, Foreign Language Training (FSI language categories)
- Goethe-Institut London, Frequently Asked Questions (how long it takes to learn German)
- Routledge: Colloquial German (dialogues, grammar points in each unit, audio recorded by native speakers)
- Routledge Colloquial series audio page for German (free MP3 audio for the book)
- Routledge: Colloquial German 2 (the next book in the series)
- SRF Kids (videos, podcasts and audio plays for children)
- SWI swissinfo.ch German edition (Swiss news, video and podcasts; part of SRG SSR)
- SRF News (text, video and audio, including the News Plus podcast)
- SRF Play (shows, live stream, news; some titles only play in Switzerland)
- Preply: German tutors (country of birth filter; Swiss German classes link)
