Languages in Switzerland

Keystone / Peter Klaunzer

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Romansh. English, though not an official language, is often used to bridge the divides, and a significant proportion of official documentation is available in English.

What language does the Swiss speak?

Switzerland is made up of four different linguistic areas, namely a German-speaking part, a French-speaking part, an Italian-speaking part and a Romansh-speaking part, illustrating the diversity of the Swiss language. Three cantons (Bern, Fribourg and Valais) and two cities (Biel/Bienne and Fribourg) are officially bilingual. Graubünden is the only officially trilingual canton.

Switzerland’s official languages are German, French, Italian, and Romansh. Romansh, a Latin-based language, is common in Graubünden.

Switzerland has many dialecl

In German-speaking Switzerland, people speak in dialect but write in standard German. This makes learning the language harder for foreigners. Additionally, there are many Swiss German dialects, which vary by canton.

Over 60% of the population speaks German (both standard German and Swiss German) as their main language, while over 20% speaks French, around 8% Italian and under 1% Romansh. Over 20% of residents have another language as their mother tongue, primarily English, Portuguese and Albanian.

Proportionately, the number of speakers of French and non-national languages is increasing, to the detriment of German, Italian and Romansh. Swiss German is the most widely spoken language at the workplace, followed by standard German, French, English and Italian.

The ability to speak a national language remains important for integration and it is required for naturalisation when someone applies for Swiss citizenship. Language courses, from weekly classes to intensive courses, are widely available in every region. Prices and methods vary, so it is worth shopping around.

For more information on multilingualism in Switzerland, see:

– official languages and their dialects on the website of the foreign ministryExternal link.

– statistics on languages spoken on the website of the Federal Statistical OfficeExternal link.

– Federal Law on National LanguagesExternal link

– Forum HelveticumExternal link, a resource centre promoting cultural and linguistic understanding between the different regions of Switzerland.