It makes total difference, I'm not yet a fluent in German, but since my knowledge of German increase I can communicate better with neighbors, bus drivers, Gemeinde people, read the news paper, watch the Swiss news on TV and listen the radio.

I know you can do several things here in English or even other languages, it's incredible the amount of local people who speaks Spanish, Italian or even Portuguese here, but if course when you can at least understand what the others are talking about, what's going on in the place where you live and be able to have small talk with your neighbours you fell yourself more inside of all.