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Swiss German (Züridütsch)–English Cognates

54 Swiss German (Züridütsch) words you already know from English. Your existing vocabulary is bigger than you think.

Cognates are your secret weapon when learning Swiss German (Züridütsch). These words look similar to English and mean the same thing — giving you an instant vocabulary of hundreds of words before you even start studying. Learn the patterns below and you'll be able to guess Swiss German (Züridütsch) words you've never seen before.

54

Cognates Listed

Words you can recognise immediately

Identical Words(15)

Same as Standard German

Wasserwater
Brotbread
Butterbutter
Milchmilk
Sportsport
Filmfilm
Hotelhotel
Restaurantrestaurant
Taxitaxi
Internetinternet
Computercomputer
Telefontelephone
Radioradio
Musikmusic
Tramtram

Ch For K(7)

Kaffee → Kafi (shortened, softer)

Kaficoffee
Chindchild
chaltcold
Chuchikitchen
chooto come
chaufeto buy
chliismall

Vowel Shift(6)

Haus → Hus (au→u)

Hushouse
guetgood
hüttoday
morntomorrow
Ziittime
Schuelschool

Unique(3)

No Standard German equivalent

luegeto look
schaffeto work
gaato go

French Loan(6)

From French vélo (Germans say Fahrrad)

Velobicycle
mercithanks
Billetticket
Trottoirpavement
Coiffeurhairdresser
Portemonnaiewallet

Scht Shift(3)

Strasse → Schtrooss (st→scht)

Schtroossstreet
Schtundhour
verschtaaunderstand

Diminutive(4)

-li diminutive ending

Gipfelicroissant
Wegglibread roll
Brötlismall bread
Schögglichocolate piece

Dropped N(4)

machen → mache (final -n dropped)

macheto make
ässeto eat
trinketo drink
redeto speak

Vowel Length(1)

Bahnhof → Baanhof (lengthened aa)

Baanhoftrain station

Meal System(5)

literally: in the morning

z'Morgebreakfast
Zmittaglunch
Znüni9am snack
Zvieri4pm snack
Znachtdinner

Related Resources

Swiss German (Züridütsch) False Friends

Words that DON'T mean what they look like

Swiss German (Züridütsch) Pronunciation Guide

Master Swiss German (Züridütsch) sounds with your accent

French–English Cognates

Compare with another language

Frequently Asked Questions

What are Swiss German (Züridütsch)–English cognates?▾
Cognates are words in two languages that share a common origin and look or sound similar. Swiss German (Züridütsch) and English share hundreds of cognates — words like "Wasser" (water), "Brot" (bread), "Butter" (butter). These give you an instant vocabulary boost.
How many Swiss German (Züridütsch)–English cognates are there?▾
We've compiled 54 Swiss German (Züridütsch)–English cognates organized by pattern. The real number is even higher — once you learn the patterns, you can predict hundreds more.
Are cognates the same as false friends?▾
No! Cognates are words that look similar AND mean the same thing. False friends look similar but mean something different. Check our Swiss German (Züridütsch) false friends guide to avoid those traps.

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