Grammar
Four things that make Zurich German hard to follow for somebody who already reads German. Not lessons — just what you will hear, and where it catches you.
No simple past
The rule
Spoken Zurich German has no preterite at all: everything past is said with the perfect.
Ich bi geschter hei gange.
Ich ging gestern nach Hause.
Si hät nüüt gseit.
Sie sagte nichts.
Mir händ das scho gmacht.
Wir machten das schon.
Where it catches you
You are waiting for ging, war, sagte — and it never comes. When you hear bi, hät or händ plus a participle, that IS the past.
wo instead of der, die, das
The rule
Relative clauses almost always start with wo, unchanging, whatever the gender or case.
De Maa, wo dört staht.
Der Mann, der dort steht.
D Frau, wo ich gsee ha.
Die Frau, die ich gesehen habe.
S Huus, wo mir gwohnt händ.
Das Haus, in dem wir gewohnt haben.
Where it catches you
You read wo as where? and lose the sentence. Here it means who, which or that — never a place.
Possession the other way round
The rule
There is no genitive: possession is built from the dative plus a possessive, or with vo.
Em Peter sis Auto.
Peters Auto.
De Anna ihri Schwöschter.
Annas Schwester.
S Dach vom Huus.
Das Dach des Hauses.
Where it catches you
Em Peter sis Auto is not a mistake, it is the normal form. The person comes first, the thing after.
The -li on everything
The rule
The -li diminutive is highly productive and often means nothing small at all.
Machsch es Bierli?
Trinken wir ein Bier?
Es Kafi und es Gipfeli.
Ein Kaffee und ein Croissant.
Gang no schnäll go poschte, es Sächeli.
Geh noch kurz einkaufen, eine Kleinigkeit.
Where it catches you
Es Bierli is not a small beer, it is a beer said kindly. Do not take -li literally.