Austrian And Swiss Standard German

Level 6

Standard German is pluricentric. While German Standard German (GSG) is the textbook default, Austrian Standard German (ASG) and Swiss Standard German (SSG) are co-equal official standards used in government, media, and education in their respective countries.

How It Works

To reach a near-native level, learners must recognize that 'High German' is not a monolith.

1. Auxiliary Verbs (The 'sein' Rule):
In ASG and SSG, verbs of position like sitzen (to sit), stehen (to stand), and liegen (to lie) use sein in the perfect tense. In GSG, these typically use haben.
Example: Ich bin gestanden (ASG/SSG) vs. Ich habe gestanden (GSG).

2. Diminutives:
While GSG uses -chen, Austria prefers -erl (e.g., Sackerl for a small bag) and Switzerland uses -li (e.g., Rüebli for a carrot).

3. Swiss Orthography:
Switzerland has completely abolished the ß. In all contexts where Germany or Austria would use 'ß', Switzerland uses 'ss'.

4. Vocabulary (Helvetisms and Austriacisms):
Many everyday words differ. In Austria, January is Jänner (GSG: Januar) and a stairwell is Stiege (GSG: Treppenhaus). In Switzerland, a bicycle is a Velo (GSG: Fahrrad) and a sidewalk is a Trottoir (GSG: Gehweg).

5. Register and Diglossia:
In Switzerland, speakers live in a state of diglossia: they write in SSG but speak in Swiss German dialects (Schwiizertüütsch). In Austria, the standard is closer to the spoken language, but regional dialects still influence daily speech.

Examples (4)

  1. ASG: Im Jänner sind wir lange im Stau gestanden.

    In January, we stood in a traffic jam for a long time.

    Word by Word: In January are we long in the traffic-jam stood.

    This uses the Austrian 'Jänner' and the auxiliary 'sein' (sind) with the verb 'stehen'.

  2. SSG: Ich habe mein Velo auf dem Trottoir parkiert.

    I parked my bicycle on the sidewalk.

    Word by Word: I have my bicycle on the sidewalk parked.

    Uses Swiss vocabulary 'Velo' and 'Trottoir', plus the verb 'parkieren' (GSG: parken).

  3. SSG: Die Strasse ist heute sehr befahren.

    The street is very busy today.

    Word by Word: The street is today very traveled.

    Note the use of 'ss' in 'Strasse' instead of the 'ß' used in Germany and Austria.

  4. ASG: Holst du mir bitte ein Sackerl für die Semmeln?

    Could you please get me a small bag for the rolls?

    Word by Word: Fetch you me please a small-bag for the rolls?

    Uses the Austrian diminutive '-erl' and 'Semmeln' (GSG: Brötchen).

Common Mistakes

  • Using the Präteritum (simple past) in spoken conversation in Austria or Switzerland.

    Ich saß gestern im Café.
    Ich bin gestern im Café gesessen.

    In southern varieties, the Präteritum is almost never used in speech; it sounds overly formal or 'Prussian'. The Perfekt is the standard for spoken past events.

  • Confusing Swiss Standard German (SSG) with Swiss Dialect (Schwiizertüütsch).

    I bi z'Züri gsi.
    Ich bin in Zürich gewesen.

    The incorrect example is dialect. SSG is a variety of High German used in writing and formal contexts, which follows standard grammar rules but with Swiss-specific vocabulary.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Austrian And Swiss Standard GermanLevel 6

Learn This First

To understand Austrian and Swiss Standard German, a learner must first be comfortable with the standard grammar of Germany (Bundesdeutsches Hochdeutsch), particularly regarding tense usage and auxiliary verb selection, as the differences are defined by these contrasts.