Your language guide for shopping in Switzerland.
With 4 national languages, plus a high proportion of English and Portuguese speakers, a trip to the supermarket in Switzerland can be an overwhelming experience, and that’s before you even start trying to unpick nutritional labels. In fact, over 40% of the adult population regularly use more than one language. But don’t worry! Here’s our guide to understanding some of the signs and labels you’ll come across in supermarkets and grocery stores around Switzerland.
Supermarket aisles in English, French, German & Italian
Wherever you are in Switzerland you can look out for these phrases when navigating your local grocery store.
|
English |
German |
French |
Italian |
|
fruit |
die Frucht |
le fruit |
la frutta |
|
vegetables |
das Gemüse |
le légume |
la verdura |
|
meat |
das Fleisch |
la viande |
la carne |
|
fish |
der Fisch |
le poisson |
il pesce |
|
dairy |
die Molkerei |
les produits laitiers |
il latte |
|
frozen food |
Tiefkühlkost |
aliments surgelés |
alimenti surgelati |
|
bread |
das Brot |
le pain |
il pane |
|
drinks |
die Getränke |
les boissons |
le bevande |
|
herbs |
das Kraut |
l'herbe |
le erbe aromatiche |
|
baby |
das Baby / der Säugling |
le bébé |
il bambino |
|
breakfast |
das Frühstück |
le petit déjeuner |
la colazione |
|
dessert |
die Nachspeise / das Dessert |
le dessert |
il dessert |
|
salad |
der Salat |
la salade |
l'insalata |
Directions in Swiss Supermarkets
You can also keep an eye out for these more general signs to make sure you go to the right queues.
|
English |
German |
French |
Italian |
|
open |
offen |
ouvert |
aperto |
|
closed |
geschlossen |
fermé |
chiuso |
|
entrance |
der Eingang |
l'entrée |
l'entrata |
|
exit |
der Ausgang |
la sortie |
l'uscita |
|
check-out |
die Kasse/Check-out |
la caisse |
la cassa |
Common produce vocabulary
If you’re looking for something specific, here are the translations for a few common food items.
|
English |
German |
French |
Italian |
|
cheese |
der Käse |
le fromage |
il formaggio |
|
butter |
die Butter |
le beurre |
il burro |
|
potato |
die Kartoffel |
la pomme de terre |
la patata |
|
rice |
der Reis |
le riz |
il riso |
|
pasta |
die Teigwaren |
les pâtes |
la pasta |
|
apple |
der Apfel |
la pomme |
la mela |
|
pear |
die Birne |
la poire |
la pera |
|
nut |
die Nuss |
la noix |
la noce |
|
chicken |
das Huhn / Poulet |
le poulet |
il pollo |
|
veal |
das Kalbfleisch |
le veau |
il vitello |
|
beef |
das Rindfleisch |
le boeuf |
carne di manzo |
|
pork |
das Schweinefleisch |
le porc |
carne di maiale |
|
milk |
die Milch |
le lait |
il latte |
|
der Knoblauch |
l'ail |
l'aglio |
|
|
black pepper |
der Pfeffer |
poivre |
pepe |
|
salt |
das Salz |
le sel |
il sale |
Phrases to look out for in French, German and Italian
These phrases will help you find the good deals or choose high quality produce.
|
English |
German |
French |
Italian |
|
sale |
den Verkauf |
la vente |
la vendita |
|
half price |
halber Preis |
demi-prix |
metà prezzo |
|
20% off |
20% Rabatt |
20 % de réduction |
20% di sconto |
|
... included |
... inbegriffen |
... compris |
... compreso |
|
local |
lokale |
locale |
locale |
|
organic |
Bio |
bio |
organico |
Nutritional labelling vocabulary
If you like to look in a bit more detail at what you’re eating, here’s some vocab for understanding nutritional labels. You can also, checkout our guide on nutri-score.
|
English |
German |
French |
Italian |
|
calories (kcal) |
Kalorien (kcal) |
calories (kcal) |
calorie (kcal) |
|
protein (prot) |
Protein |
protéine |
proteina |
|
carbohydrates (carb) |
Kohlenhydrate (KE) |
glucides |
carboidrati |
|
fat |
fett |
gras |
grasso |
Bored of shopping?
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