What does "GREETSEE" mean? - Page 4

amogles · #61 28.03.2019, 15:57

	Quote:
	Funny how nobody seems to mind when people write Geneva or Zurich, but somehow Lucerne is weird. It's just the normal English spelling, and has been for a very long time:

This is fake news, and completely untrue.

It is a trick the Swiss play on English visitors to tell them that this city has different names in different languages, Lucerne in French, Lausanne in super-French, Lugano in Italian, Locrano in Ticiniesi and all that.

But this is absolute hogwash. Lucerne is a completely different city from Luzern, just as Locarnno is indeed different from Lausanne, but confusingly Lugano is indeed the same as Laredo, and Lusanne is the same as Logcarno but different from Lugern, except in the German-speaking Catholic cantons wets of the Röstigraben where Lausanne is German for Lausen.

Rjellsch · #62 28.03.2019, 16:12

	Quote:
	There's almost no situation where it would not be appropriate when you encounter other people, known to you or not.

I’ve been told it’s not the best choice when addressing children in passing.

curley · #63 28.03.2019, 16:25

	Quote:	amogles
	This is fake news, and completely untrue. It is a trick the Swiss play on English visitors to tell them that this city has different names in different languages, Lucerne in French, Lausanne in super-French, Lugano in Italian, Locrano in Ticiniesi and all that. But this is absolute hogwash. Lucerne is a completely different city from Luzern, just as Locarnno is indeed different from Lausanne, but confusingly Lugano is indeed the same as Laredo, and Lusanne is the same as Logcarno but different from Lugern, except in the German-speaking Catholic cantons wets of the Röstigraben where Lausanne is German for Lausen.

It makes the country seem bigger.

If you can't convince them .....

It's just like this rumour that they once had 3 military planes fly around a mountain to give the foreign visitor the impression. the fleet the Swiss have is huge.

Elu · #64 28.03.2019, 16:33

	Quote:	Rjellsch
	I’ve been told it’s not the best choice when addressing children in passing.

No then you just say hoi, tschou, sali.

Rjellsch · #65 28.03.2019, 19:53

	Quote:	Elu
	No then you just say hoi, tschou, sali.

Why is this? I’ve not found a meaningful explanation from Swiss folk in a way that makes sense to me. Can it be equated to English usage?

doropfiz · #66 28.03.2019, 20:12

	Quote:	olygirl
	If I were in charge of naturalization here, I'd require every candidate to learn the following song and translate its lyrics into English. Ja, Grüeziwohl, Frau Stirnimaa Säged si, wi läbed si Wi sind si ä so draa? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_j-TwEPZ0

Yup! Excellent. Have always been grateful for having learnt this in our German course.

curley · #67 28.03.2019, 23:07

	Quote:	olygirl
	If I were in charge of naturalization here, I'd require every candidate to learn the following song and translate its lyrics into English. Ja, Grüeziwohl, Frau Stirnimaa Säged si, wi läbed si Wi sind si ä so draa? Grüeziwohl, Frau Stirnimaa Säged si, wi läbed si Wi gahts dän irem Maa? Grüeziwohl, Frau Stirnimaa Säged si, wi läbed si Wi sind si ä so draa? Grüeziwohl, Frau Stirnimaa Säged si, wi sind si ä so draa? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2_j-TwEPZ0

Yeah, thanks a bunch. That melody was still spinning around my mind when going to bed last night.

marischi · #68 29.03.2019, 15:25

Grüezi means exactly "greet you". That's all. "Grüessech" is the Bernese variant, means exactly the same.

Its not like "Grüss Gott". God is not mentioned at all...

Elu · #69 29.03.2019, 15:59

	Quote:	Rjellsch
	Why is this? I’ve not found a meaningful explanation from Swiss folk in a way that makes sense to me. Can it be equated to English usage?

If you are per "Sie" with someone, you say grüezi, if you are per "du" you say some of the above.
Since you are alway per "du" with kids, you don't say grüezi.

It hurts quite a lot when you go to a party and the teenagers there say grüezi to you for the first time.