Swiss German, like many other Germanic languages, has a complex system of verb tenses to convey different aspects of time and mood. There are three main tenses in Swiss German: the present tense, the past tense, and the future tense. We’ll take a look at them in this post and, as usual, take a look at some example sentences.
Present Tense
The present tense in Swiss German is used to describe actions that are happening now, or that happen on a regular basis. It is formed by taking the stem of the verb and adding an ending specific to the subject. The endings are different for regular and irregular verbs.
Regular Verbs
For regular verbs, the endings in the present tense are as follows:
| Subject | Ending |
|---|---|
| ich | -e |
| du | -sch |
| er/sie/es | -t |
| mir | -nd |
| ihr | -t |
| sie | -nd |
Here are some examples of regular verbs in the present tense:
- Ich lauf-e schnell. (I run fast.)
- Du schrieb-sch eine E-Mail. (You write an email.)
- Er isst ein Sandwich. (He eats a sandwich.)
- Mir schlafe-nd gut. (We sleep well.)
- Ihr spiel-t Fussball. (You play football.)
- Sie arbeite-nd hart. (They work hard.)
Irregular Verbs
Irregular verbs have their own specific endings in the present tense. Here are some examples:
- Ich bi-n müed. (I am tired.)
- Du gisch-t mir immer Ratschläg. (You always give me advice.)
- Er chunnt aus Bern. (He comes from Bern.)
- Mir mache-n oft Fehler. (We often make mistakes.)
- Ihr müesst eischt mol ufriume. (You need to clean up first.)
- Sie wüsse-n no nöd, was si mache sött. (They still don’t know what they should do.)
Past Tense
The past tense in Swiss German is used to describe actions that have already happened. It is formed by adding the appropriate auxiliary verb (usually “hän” or “si”) to the stem of the verb. The auxiliary verb is conjugated according to the subject, and the stem remains the same for all subjects.
Here are some examples of regular and irregular verbs in the past tense:
- Ich ha-e schnäll gloffe. (I ran fast.)
- Du häsch en E-Mail gschriebe. (You wrote an email.)
- Er het es Sandwich ässe. (He ate a sandwich.)
- Mir händ guet gschlofe. (We slept well.)
- Ihr händ Fussball gspielt. (You played football.)
- Sie händ hart gschafft. (They worked hard.)
- Ich ha-ni müed gfühlt. (I felt tired.)
- Du hesch mr Ratschläg gege. (You gave me advice.)
- Er isch us Bern cho. (He came from Bern.)
- Mir händ oft Fehler gmacht. (We made mistakes often.)
- Ihr händ eischt mol ufgruumt. (You cleaned up first.)
- Sie händ no nöd gwüsst, was si mache sötte. (They still didn’t know what they should do.)
Future Tense
The future tense in Swiss German is used to describe actions that will happen in the future. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “wärde” (to become) followed by the infinitive form of the verb.
Here are some examples:
- Ich werde schnäll laufe. (I will run fast.)
- Du wirst eis E-Mail schriibe. (You will write an email.)
- Er wird es Sandwich ässe. (He will eat a sandwich.)
- Mir werde guet schlofe. (We will sleep well.)
- Ihr werdet Fussball spiele. (You will play football.)
- Sie werde hart schaffe. (They will work hard.)
In addition to the three main tenses, Swiss German also has several other tenses that are used to convey different aspects of time and mood. These include:
The perfect tense, which is used to describe completed actions in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “ha” (to have) or “si” (to be) followed by the past participle of the verb. For example: “Ich ha kei Ziit gha” (I didn’t have time).
The pluperfect tense, which is used to describe actions that were completed before another action in the past. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “ha” or “si” in the past tense followed by the past participle of the verb. For example: “Ich ha kei Ziit gha, will ich scho im Restaurant gsi bi” (I didn’t have time because I was already in the restaurant).
The future perfect tense, which is used to describe completed actions in the future. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “werde” followed by the past participle of the verb. For example: “Ich werde kei Ziit gha ha” (I will not have had time).
The conditional tense, which is used to describe hypothetical or uncertain actions. It is formed by using the auxiliary verb “würde” (would) followed by the infinitive form of the verb. For example: “Ich würde gerne helfen” (I would like to help).
In conclusion, Swiss German has a complex system of verb tenses that are used to convey different aspects of time and mood. The present, past, and future tenses are the main tenses used in everyday communication, but there are also several other tenses that are used in more formal or literary contexts. It’s important to note that the examples provided in this explanation are just a small sample of the many verb conjugations that exist in Swiss German, and that there may be regional variations in the language.