Swiss German to English...Word translations thread

[Bob Down]

Hello everyone,

I feel just like I have found the 'path home' after long hours of fruitless searching!

I am glad to see that there are other souls out there suffering for the difficulties and vagaries of the superbly complex Swiss Dialect System!!!

I absolutely love it, however, as I have only just moved here and thus qualify as a complete beginner, I am having difficulty understanding some words (obviously).

After long hours of trying to translate my 'friends' texts and emails using all sorts of Google, Babel Fish, Swiss German Lexicons and Morphology, I must admit I was beginning to give up! I have purchased that wonderful book 'Hoi' which helps, however this still does not do the complete job.

Discovering the English Forum (which I never even thought about looking for....d'oh!!), it occurs to me that there must be other people out there who have a similar problem.

I wondered therefore that, as some people have tried to get the odd sentence translated quite successfully, whether it might be possible to open a thread dedicated to single words. What I mean by this is for instance if I put the word 'Hesch' in, would someone come up with a rough translation of the word, which I can then take back to my written requirement and try to put into context. This way I will learn the words and the art of putting it into context, rather than asking someone to just give a translation of a sentence!

I can already understand some words but there others that I cannot even begin to trace into Hoch Deutsch and then English!!!!

Thus, if some one could give me an idea about the following words it would be immensely helpful. The original writer is using mostly Zurich Dialect (although originally from St. Gallen).....

Wottsch.....
Hesch...
Bruchsch...
Chräbse...
Nid...
Naacke...
Tuume...
Sett....
Wüsse...
Vergnüege...
Liide...
Weckä...
Hemmige...
Chöne....
Wiä...
Uf...
Usdruckt...
Usprobiere...

I will apologise to the Moderators if any of teh words are in 'bad taste' however, I don't know what they mean therefore.........

I am sure there will be many more from me, but how about other people doing the same, and we can all learn from each other???

So in the meantime, Schönes Abig, Mittenand!!!

[xapadoo]

Wottsch..... Do you want
Hesch... Do you have
Bruchsch... Do you need
Chräbse... -unsure- => maybe Retreat
Nid... Do not
Naacke... Nape
Tuume... Thumb
Sett.... Should
Wüsse... Know
Vergnüege... Pleasure
Liide... Suffer
Weckä... Wake
Hemmige... Hesitation
Chöne.... Can
Wiä... Like (for comparison)
Uf... On (e.g. on a travel, on a mountain)
Usdruckt... Printed
Usprobiere... to Try

[i-b-deborah]

My ch mate tells me it means crabs...

	Quote:	Bob Down
	Chräbse...

Best wishes, Phil McAverty

[xapadoo]

	Quote:	I-b-deborah
	My ch mate tells me it means crabs... Best wishes, Phil McAverty

It can also be a verb though. As in "zrugg chräbse" which means to retreat.

[tomcat]

Chräbse... -unsure- => maybe Retreat

I'd say it comes from the way a Krebs (crab / cancer) walks --- sideways.

In colloquial German it would mean to beat around the bush. But other meanings, too.

[Goldtop]

Hemmige = inhibition

[sonnyk]

just expanded on a few...

	Quote:	xapadoo
	Wottsch..... Do you want Hesch... Do you have Bruchsch... Do you need Chräbse... -unsure- => maybe Retreat Nid... Do not Naacke... Nape Tuume... Thumb Sett.... Should Wüsse... Know Vergnüege... Pleasure Liide... Suffer Weckä... Wake Hemmige... Hesitation Chöne.... Can Wiä... Like (for comparison)...also used to for `What?` or How is that, please? Wiä bitte? For if you need someone to repeat something. Uf... On (e.g. on a travel, on a mountain) Usdruckt... Printed...also `expressed` and `pressed` like to press a lemon Usprobiere... to Try

...as in to try something new that you have never tried before

[Bob Down]

Hi People,

Now that is what I call service!!!!!

Much appreciated to all ;-)

Things become quite a lot clearer now.

So......... if I may presume upon your superb help again with a few more....

Chans....
Begegnige....
Xehsch...
Xicht....
Zberg....
Sett....
Dim...

Many thanks.

BD

[flow23]

	Quote:	Bob Down
	Hi People, Now that is what I call service!!!!! Much appreciated to all ;-) Things become quite a lot clearer now. So......... if I may presume upon your superb help again with a few more.... Chans.... Begegnige.... Xehsch... Xicht.... Zberg.... Sett.... Dim... Many thanks. BD

Chans....can you
Begegnige....encounter, meeting ( a person)
Xehsch...you see?
Xicht....?
Zberg....?
Sett....?
Dim...yours

[herc82]

	Quote:	Bob Down
	Chans.... / Can (as in: Ich chans mache / I can do it) Begegnige.... / Encounter Xehsch... / to see Xicht.... / Face (correct spelling : Das Gesicht) Zberg.... / (zu Berg) as in on a mountain or going to wander on a mountain Sett.... / should Dim... / Your (TV, Car, Book?)

Hope that helps

... and got beaten to it again.... :-)

[Bob Down]

Once again, many thanks to you all.

I am now in a much more enlightened state

I am also beginning to see some 'threads' to the differences between SG and High German, although I also realsie that this is not 'firm' in all cases.

Magnificent response, and when I am next translating, I am most likely goign to be back!!

Have a very pleasant week to all.

BD

[killy killy]

Hi BD
If you're interested in the SG dialekt or would like to improve your SG I can recommend this top book called -Hoi Zäme, which you can get at most bookshops. It has lots of funny cartoons and great examples of everyday life plus its Züri deutsch.

http://www.weltbild.ch/hoi-zaeme-ser...tml?b=12134196

	Quote:	Bob Down
	Once again, many thanks to you all. I am now in a much more enlightened state I am also beginning to see some 'threads' to the differences between SG and High German, although I also realsie that this is not 'firm' in all cases. Magnificent response, and when I am next translating, I am most likely goign to be back!! Have a very pleasant week to all. BD

[Starbug]

	Quote:	tomcat
	Chräbse... -unsure- => maybe Retreat I'd say it comes from the way a Krebs (crab / cancer) walks --- sideways. In colloquial German it would mean to beat around the bush. But other meanings, too.

Chrabse means to pull out/ withdraw but usually in the sense of going back on an appointment or a promise (zurück chrabse), but this is in Bernese dialect.

It also means crabs (as in seafood).

[bananasplit]

Hello everybody, i have a problem , i need to know exactly what :
"Ich han dich gestern zum Iglad" means, icant find what it means on the net,
thank you so much for your help

[Faltrad]

Perhaps:
I invited you yesterday to...
But the ... is missing in your sentence.

[bananasplit]

Thank u for ur answer, i thought it means i lov u and something...
I m sure its complete altough..strange..
Ich han dich doesn't mean i love you? and Iglad?

[Faltrad]

well... it's very close to high German. I read it like :
ich
han = habe
dich
gestern
zum
iglad = yglade = eingeladen

The last word being capitalized and the preposition zum being not followed by anything, it looks like a word is missing. Is the person Swiss-German?

[bananasplit]

Ok, thank you for your help, yes, the person is swiss german, and sometimes its helpful to get some help to understand that complex language
thank you for your translation, it really helped me!
All the best wishes and hope to read you soon, good night!

[junga]

I know this is an old thread, but only just stumbled upon it... If anyone sees this, please help with the following words!!

1. nomi-obe
2. jewiils
3. schaffe

Thanks!

[simplon]

	Quote:	junga
	I know this is an old thread, but only just stumbled upon it... If anyone sees this, please help with the following words!! 1. nomi-obe 2. jewiils 3. schaffe Thanks!

1. Afternoon - evening, depending on the dialect obe can above
2. always or in every case
3. several meanings: to work, to create or to achieve