Geneva belongs to la Suisse romande (French-speaking Switzerland). While French is the official language, English, German, Italian and Spanish are widely spoken. English is the official language of most multinational companies and international groups based in Geneva, where nearly 100,000 English speakers are based. Nevertheless, attempts to speak French are appreciated by the locals. The Genevois tend to speak relatively slowly, with a lilting accent. Differences from standard French in grammar and vocabulary are particularly accentuated in the spoken language. Numbers are slightly different, as well: seventy (soixante-dix in standard French) is septante in Swiss French; ninety (quatre-vingt dix in standard French) is nonante in Swiss French. In Geneva, the verb dîner means to eat lunch and not dinner. The national languages in Switzerland are German (70%), French (19%), Italian (10%) and Romansch (1%).

Phrases

Yes - Oui
No - Non
Hello - Bonjour
Goodbye - Au revoir
Please - S’il vous plaît
Thank you - Merci
My name is … - Je m’appelle …
How are you? - Comment ça va?
I’m very well - Ça va bien
I feel ill - Je ne me sens pas bien
How much does it cost? - Combien est-ce que ça coûte?
Do you speak English? - Est-ce que vousparlez anglais?
I don’t understand - Je ne comprends pas
Where is …? - Où est …?
Entrance - Entrée
Exit - Sortie
Danger - Danger
Open - Ouvert
Closed - Fermé
Toilets - Toilettes
Doctor - Médecin
Hotel - Hôtel
Restaurant - Restaurant
Beer - Bière
Wine - Vin
Menu - Menu
Today - Aujourd’hui
Tomorrow - Demain
Monday - Lundi
Tuesday - Mardi
Wednesday - Mercredi
Thursday - Jeudi
Friday - Vendredi
Saturday - Samedi
Sunday - Dimanche
One - Un (Une)
Two - Deux
Three - Trois
Four - Quatre
Five - Cinq
Six - Six
Seven - Sept
Eight - Huit
Nine - Neuf
Ten - Dix
Twenty - Vingt
Thirty - Trente
Forty - Quarante
Fifty - Cinquante
Sixty - Soixante
Seventy - Septante
Eighty - Quatre-vingt
Ninety - Nonante
One Hundred - Cent
One Thousand - Mille

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