Hello
If you live in the German-speaking part of Switzerland is it possible to navigate successful with English or with other official languages in Switzerland(french and Italian).
I am wondering for the first 3-4 months ,because we are studying german now but we will need some time to learn it.
My question is about:
-speaking with people
-shopping
-job
-working with institutions

How is the situation ?

Yes, Possibly
Probably
Who knows if you have been given a job & they know you don't speak German then Yes & Yes

Not uncommon for me to quickly switch into Italian for example if the person I am interacting with speaks Italian, simply because there are many speakers of Italian in the German speaking regions.
I would say it happens with French and English (for me) to a far lesser extent. Maybe because I don't have an English sounding surname or a typical English speaker's accent.

I have been asked in English if I speak French, this was in Bahnhofstrasse Zurich

When we first moved here neither of us spoke any German, apart from the usual " sorry I don't understand", "my German is not good" and " do you speak English", "yes" "no" and "thank you".
Most people were very helpful, many spoke English.
Now that we speak more German however, life is much easier.

Most amusing one I've seen is two Italians as work trying to speak German to each other. Took them about 10 minutes to realise they could use Italian!

Hee hee, yes I had the same experience in Lausanne, with French.

A good friend spent 5 minutes speaking to a car rental company in French, eventually they realised they were both English, happens all the time.

Thanks for all reply
If we summarize all the population of Switzerland by language the picture will be like this :
60 % speak german
30 % speak french
10 % speak italian
And also
40-50 % speak English(mainly in the urban areas)
Is this correct ?

As an English and French speaker, I have not had any problems for shopping, chatting with people and as a bilingual canton you can get most of the services in French at different offices. Working institutions depends on where you work. For example at research institutes, you can easily communicate in English of course short coffee break conversations and some speeches might be in German.

So you can successfully navigated with English and French even in the German part-including in the government offices ?
I suppose that only at work can be a little different(except if it is not a English employer or English is the main required language).
And bye the way,now i am learning German(yes it is not easy ) but i found this(some differences between german and Swiss German)
http://www.eldrid.ch/swgerman.htm
Is there so big difference between them and can i navigate with german in the german part...........or to start to learn directly Swiss German(if i find online courses somewhere) ?

I found that Swiss German pronunciation is so close to Standard German that I quickly learned to translate on the fly (Uuswiis=Ausweis, Ufa=Auf etc).

I took formal courses for Standard German, Swiss German just sort of happened in the 20h of the day that I was outside of the class (for the first 3 months).

They're different, but so closely related that (to a native English speaker who isn't confused by the differences between UK and US English) you'll probably hear them more like two dialects, rather than two separate languages.

You'll get them mixed up every now and then, but after about a year or so that will be rare.

My advice would be learn Standard German first. If you (or the Swiss who you interact with) feel the need for a Swiss German course after a year or two, then take one.

__________________
If everyone you know agrees with you consistently, they are either not listening, or not capable of critical thought.

I learnt standard German before coming to Switzerland and learnt Swiss German here.

The other day, my OH, who is German, made fun of me for using the word absitzen in a German conversation in Germany. This shows to what extent Switzzerland has poluuted my German.

You'll probably find that you can use English for almost everything.

In fact, you'll find it frustrating when you are trying to work on your German and everyone keeps switching to English.

You make me the happiest man in the world
I am now struggle to learn German.......
Or may be i will use this strategy-i will start to speak German,all will be piss off with my german and they voluntary will switch to english

You'll find that you get a certain number of "goodwill" credits, and that people will make an effort to switch to English.

But at work or in social settings, once you've used up your credits people will eventually just revert back to the local language. You will feel isolated and disliked, which is not a place you want to be while you are getting used to a new world.

The more effort you make to learn German the faster you will feel "at home", even if the milk and eggs taste funny, things are expensive, fridges are too small, and people tailgate on the highway.

Amongst other things, when you learn enough German to ask "Why is this so?" and understand the response, you'll find it a lot easier to get through daily life.

__________________
If everyone you know agrees with you consistently, they are either not listening, or not capable of critical thought.

For a view from the other side...

While you can likely get by with only English in urban areas, if you were to move out to many smaller towns or villages you might not be so lucky.

For instance, here in my village, 45 minutes outside Zürich with a growing Auslander population, it's generally German only. Especially if you do not speak any German.

People might be offended if you show that you do not at least have a few words auf Deutsch, if only 'Please excuse my lack of German, I'm still learning' before launching into English. Many will want to impress upon you how important it is to recognize that the onus is on you to integrate. Little mercy is shown to those who stick to English only.

However, if you show that you are learning the approach relaxes a bit. Be aware that some people here may be proficient in English, but do not wish to speak it. This can sometimes largely be an issue of local pride/politics. In such cases, while you are learning as long as you are comfortable with a 2 language conversation, you in whatever German you have sprinkled with English to fill the gaps, the other person in Dialekt, you'd be OK.

Local bureaucracy is generally German only, so if yours is insufficient bring a translator. An exception is the tax department. They seem to be happy to speak English with any good tax payer.

The local doctor does not offer consultations in English. He understands some, but you need enough German to get through an appointment. Or seek treatment elsewhere.

Shops and business are mixed, but assume German only, especially if you are trying to find an emergency plumber.

The general rule in my area: If they need you, English might be possible. If you need them, German only.

As always, YMMV. But if you are worried about lack of German impacting your ability to settle in, you likely want to stay in a more urban area at first.

I purposely chose to live in a village when I first moved here, though, because I knew that would be the best motivator for me to learn functional (if inelegant) German.

Good luck as you settle in!

Yes,you are totally right.
Learning the local language is essential and it is a word "must".
I was curious about first 3-4 months until i learn it well to speak at least the basic conversation(or better).
And yes if you know the basic 40-50 sentences (in the local language) at least you will earn the local's sympathy.
But are there many differences between German and Swiss German -for example they have 300-500 hundred different word...........or plenty more ?
For example if i said:
Mir ist kalt/Ich been kalt(i am cold) they will understand me or they will understand only the swiss phrase "Ich ha chalt"
If i use Sonntag(sunday) they will understand me or they will understand only Sunntig(Swiss phrase) ?