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One of the greatest challenges faced by German learners is the variety of regional dialects used in German speaking countries that are practically unintelligible to non-native German speakers. Some German dialects can at first hearing sound to you like a completely different language. Even texts written in a German dialect may seem impossible to decipher. But don’t despair, the locals themselves also find it difficult to understand dialects from another German-speaking region.
Although all native Germans learnt standard German (Hochdeutsch) at school, some will hardly ever need to use it as long as they stay within their own community. Moreover, many German speakers, especially Austrians and Swiss, are very proud of their local dialect and will use it in most situations, not just when communicating with people from their hometown. Therefore, do not be surprised if people start talking to you in a dialect when you are visiting a German-speaking country. Even if you are fluent in German, you will most likely have serious difficulties understanding German dialects, especially if people talk about unfamiliar subjects.
If you already live in Germany, Austria or Switzerland and are getting used to the local dialect in your area, it can be confusing to realize that you still cannot understand other German dialects. Sadly, you will never be able to understand all German dialects, no matter how good your German is. However, you should not worry too much about that. German native speakers themselves do not understand them either. They can usually only understand neighbouring dialects. Dialects from distant regions are not mutually intelligible.
For example, the locals in Tyrol (Austria) often laugh at German tourists from the north who come to ski there because of their difficulties understanding the Tyrolean dialect. But imagine, a person from Tyrol comes to Berlin or Hamburg. If they insisted on speaking their own dialect, no one in Berlin or Hamburg would be able to understand them. They have to use standard German instead. So, if native German speakers can live with these little difficulties, you can too.
Classification of German Dialects
German dialects can be divided into Low German dialects (Niederdeutsch) used in the north and High German dialects (Hochdeutsch) used in the middle and in the south of the geographic area where German is naturally spoken (the so-called German Sprachraum). This area includes Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Luxemburg, Lichtenstein, north-eastern France, northern Italy, Belgium, the Netherlands and southern Denmark. High German dialects can be further classified into Upper German dialects (Oberdeutsch), Central German dialects (Mitteldeutsch) and High Franconian dialects (Fränkisch). Altogether there are anywhere between 50 and 250 different German dialects, depending on the definition of a dialect. For an alphabetical list of 126 major dialects see this link.
Swiss and Austrian dialects as well as Alsatian dialect spoken in the north-eastern part of France around the town of Strasbourg (Straßburg) belong to the Upper German branch of dialects. Despite that Swiss dialects are unintelligible to most Germans including those who live in the south and also to most Austrians. German minorities that live dispersed in isolated regions called Sprachinsel throughout Central and Eastern Europe speak their own, often very archaic dialects. For example, in some of these dialects the consonant “w” is still pronounced like a “b” as it was thousand years ago.
Standard German is a mixture of Upper German and Middle German that was created by scholars, poets and philosophers in the 18th and 19th centuries. Therefore, some Low German dialects, such as Plattdeutsch, are so different from standard German that many experts believe they should be classified as separate languages. In fact, these dialects more closely resemble Old English than standard German.
This map shows you where different German dialects are spoken. Please note that it also includes other continental West-Germanic dialects closely related to German, namely Frisian dialects spoken in the north of the Netherlands, north-western Germany and southern Denmark and Dutch dialects spoken in the Netherlands, Belgium and the westernmost part of Germany.
Like in most other languages, dialects in many parts of the German speaking world are being gradually replaced by varieties of the standard language. Young, educated people no longer use local dialects though they may still have a local accent. This is good news for German learners because these local varieties are not too difficult to get used to. They differ from standard German only in syntax, phonology and the use of local expressions.
Video Samples: Can You Understand these Dialects from German-Speaking Countries?
Although your primary focus when learning German will always be on acquiring the standard language, it is useful to be able to understand the most common local colloquial expressions and some dialect-style slang of the region where you live. If interested, check out the videos below to hear different dialects spoken in the German-speaking world. But, do not get discouraged if you cannot understand them.
Dialects from Germany
- 12 German Dialects from the DontTrustTheRabbit YouTube channel is a short video in which Trixi from Hamburg (originally from Hannover) presents twelve local dialects from Germany with subtitles in standard German and English. These include Swabian (Schwäbisch), Berlin dialect (Berlinerisch), Ruhr area dialect (Ruhrdeutsch), Saxon (Sächsisch), Alemannic (Badisch), Cologne dialect (Kölsch), Hessian (Hessisch), Hamburg dialect (Hamburgerisch), Low German (Plattdeutsch), Palatine (Pfälzisch), Franconian (Fränkisch) and Bavarian (Bayrisch). Find out how much you can understand.
- Learn German Dialects | An Overview from Get Germanized provides examples of a variety of dialects from Germany including Hamburg dialect (Hamburgerisch) and Ruhr area dialect (Ruhrdeutsch) from the category Low German; Cologne dialect (Kölsch), Hessian (Hessisch), Saarland dialect (Saarländisch), Palatine (Pfälzisch), Saxon (Sächsisch) and Berlin dialect (Berlinerisch) from the category of Central German dialects; and Alemannic (Badisch, Alemannisch), Swabian (Schwäbisch), Franconian (Fränkisch) and Bavarian (Bayerisch) from the category of Upper German dialects. With one exception, no translations are provided in this video. Still, you can use the video as a blind test of your German language skills. But, do not be too disappointed if you do not understand much. The host himself, who is a native German speaker, could not properly understand many of these samples either.
- 38 Different German Dialects Trying to Say the Same Sentence is a video that illustrates how diverse the German language is. Most of the speakers come from Germany and you will notice that differences just among them are significant, even when disregarding Austrian and Swiss participants.
This is just a brief overview of the major dialects spoken in Germany. You can certainly find a lot more videos from Germany on YouTube that were recorded in local dialects, especially if you search for popular terms such as Plattdeutsch or Bayrisch.
Swiss-German Dialects
- English vs German vs Swiss German (Zurich) vs Swiss German (Valais) Part 1 and Part 2 from the youtube channel of the Swiss cable TV joiz demonstrates differences between standard German and two varieties of Swiss German. Although you may understand many of the phrases and sentences in the Zurich dialect, Walser German would most likely be a tough challenge also for a native German. So, do not be frustrated if you find it nearly impossible to understand the last guy in this video.
- Christmas in Switzerland is a video from the YouTube channel Easy Languages. Random passers-by in the Swiss city of Basel are asked about their Christmas wishes. You can read the subtitles of the conversations in Swiss German, standard German and in English. The audio quality is excellent although the music is sometimes a little bit disturbing.
- Swiss German for Beginners, as the title suggests, is a channel for learners of Swiss German. The focus is on Zurich dialect while the goal is to help you become more confident when communicating with native speakers of Swiss German not just in Zurich but also in other German-speaking parts of Switzerland. Among other things, you will find there an interesting comparison of 23 Swiss German dialects.
Austrian Dialects
- Österreichisch für Anfänger is a playlist from JANAklar channel. Jana uploaded several videos where she lets you guess and then explains the most distinctive words from her Upper Austrian dialect. Although this channel is not designed for German learners but rather for native Germans to teach them some Austrian expressions, Jana speaks clearly and is easy to understand (unless she speaks in a local dialect). You can listen to her lovely Austrian accent while also learning some colloquial Austrian words.
- Easy German Vienna is a YouTube video from Easy Languages that is similar to the one above (see Christmas in Switzerland). Cari and Mathias visit a Christmas market in Vienna and ask random people to name a characteristic local expression or ask for their opinion about Germans. Although they are looking for typical Viennese characters, some visitors they stumble upon happen to be foreigners. English subtitles will help you understand Viennese slang words. You can find a few more videos dedicated to dialects in German speaking countries on the channel Easy German which is part of Easy Languages.
- Austrian German Tutorial is an entire channel dedicated to Austrian German, presenting its unique vocabulary and explaining differences between the Austrian and German varieties of the German language. It will teach you words and phrases that are unique to Austrian German and will help you better understand Austrians, including those speaking in a local dialect. You will find there expressions from Upper- and Lower-Austrian dialects but mostly Viennese dialect which is the most likely language you will hear when visiting Austria.
Luxembourgish Language
- Luxemburgisch lernen mit A. und J. Lulling is a YouTube channel of Luxdico TV which hosts several dozen videos in original Luxembourgish language with German or French subtitles. Luxembourgish language is a native language of Luxembourgers and, alongside standard German and French, one of the three official languages spoken in Luxembourg. This variety of German language has evolved from the Central-Franconian German dialect that has absorbed many French words and phrases.
- Luxembourgish with Anne is a channel devoted to teaching the Luxembourg’s variety of German. It contains lessons for beginners and intermediate students of Luxembourgish that can be used as a preparation course for the Luxembourgish nationality test.
Alternatively, you can do this German dialect quiz where random native German speakers from different parts of Germany, Austria and Switzerland speak with their native accent and you try to guess the hometown of the speaker (don’t worry you will get suggestions). But, keep in mind that this quiz was made for German native speakers, so don’t be too disappointed if you do not score maximum points. Also, before you begin, don’t get confused by the form, you can ignore it, just click on “Spiel starten” and enjoy the quiz.
German dialects certainly are one of the biggest sources of frustration for most German learners. This is especially true when people around you speak different regional dialects and they all seem to understand each other while you do not understand them. Never mind, just work on your standard German and as your vocabulary grows and your listening comprehension improves you will become more comfortable also with the local variety of German in the area where you live. This may be different in Switzerland, though, where you will have to learn Swiss German.
German Dialects FAQs
What German dialect should I learn?
For non-native German speakers there is usually no need to learn a German dialect as most natives will talk in standard German to them, knowing they are non-natives. But in some regions, especially in Switzerland and Austria, where the locals largely use a dialect in everyday communication you may need to learn to understand the local dialect of the area you live in.
What are the hardest German dialects to understand?
For a non-native German speaker any authentic German dialect is practically unintelligible, though some may be a little easier to understand than others. Most Germans believe that Walser German from Switzerland is one of the toughest dialects to understand but Frisian and Plattdeutsch from Northern Germany are also a hard challenge to most German native speakers.
How many German dialects are there?
The number of existing German dialects depends on the definition of a dialect but there should be between 50 and 250 dialects of German. For example, Wikipedia.org has a list of 126 German dialects.
What is the easiest German dialect to understand?
Dialects from the Upper Saxon and Thuringian dialect group should be closest to standard German from all German dialects and so be easiest to understand. This is because standard German is actually based on these dialects.
Where is the purest German spoken?
Most people in Northern Germany speak pure standard German in everyday communication. This, however, is quite paradoxical if you realize that standard German is based on German dialects from Central Germany while the dialects of Northern Germany are regarded as most distant to standard German.
Which German dialect is closest to English?
It should be either Frisian or Plattdeutsch as both share many similarities with the Old Saxon language. Some experts even say that these two dialects are closer to Old English than to standard German.
Do native Germans understand Swiss dialects?
It depends on the particular dialect but they understand some phrases and sentences, not all. That’s why Swiss German is usually subtitled on German TV.