Do you really need to learn High German before learning Swiss German?
I’m a Swiss German teacher and I honestly don’t fully agree with that advice.
I’ve seen so many people spend years learning High German first, even though their real goal was always Swiss German. And by the time they finally want to start speaking dialect, they’re often too insecure, too stuck in High German patterns, or simply too afraid to try.
Some of my best students actually started directly with Swiss German (or very early alongside High German) and progressed surprisingly well.
I’m curious what others think about this, especially people who moved to Switzerland.
Did learning High German first help you?
Or did it sometimes make Swiss German harder to learn?
My thoughts as an experienced Swiss German teacher: https://open.spotify.com/episode/5MkXfyscmHujpNyEFMwLaQ?si=2bcddff767a64081