Language/Romansh/Vocabulary/Basic-phrases-in-Romansh

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Useful phrases for beginners in the Romansh language
Survival phrases in Romansh
Switzerland-Romansh-language-basic-phrases.jpg

Tgau Polyglots!😊

Welcome to our "Rare languages" series lesson.

Today we are going to talk about the Romansh language.

Romansh is a Romance language spoken in the Swiss canton of Grisons (Graubünden). It is one of the four national languages of Switzerland, with around 40,000 native speakers. The language is not one unified language, but rather a collection of 5 idioms: Puter, Vallader, Sursilvan, Sutsilvan and Surmiran. There are some similarities between them, but many differences too. Whilst a Vallader speaker in the lower Engadin may understand most of what is said by a Puter speaker in the Upper Engadin, there are often spelling and pronunciation differences. Differences between other idioms of Romansh are more extreme, with wholesale differences in vocabulary.

Please find below some basic phrases and interesting videos.

Feel free to complete this wiki page if you think it could be improved!

When you've absorbed this lesson's content, you might find these related areas of interest: Months of the Year, Definite Articles in Romansh, Numbers, Time.

Survival phrases in Romansh[edit | edit source]

English Rumantsch (Romansh)
Cheers! Eviva! Puter: Viva!
Do you speak English? Discurras ti englais? Puter*: Discuorrasch tü Inglais?
Do you speak Romansh? Discurras ti rumantsch? Puter: Discuorrasch tü Rumauntsch?
Do you understand? Chapeschas ti?
Excuse me Perdunai
Fire! Fieu!
Good afternoon Buna sera
Good afternoon/evening  Buna sera
Good morning Bien di Puter: Bun di
Good night Buna notg Puter: Buna nott
Goodbye Chau Puter: Arrivai
Hello Ciao or Allegra
Help! Agid! Puter: Agüd
Hi! Tgau!
How are you? Co vai? Puter: Tuot in uorden? / Tuot bun?
How do you say ... in Romansh? Co ha ... num per rumantsch? Puter: Scu as disch … in Rumauntsch?
How much is this? Con cuosta quei ?
I don't understand Jau na chapesch betg
I love you Jeu carezel tei Puter: Eau t’am (Eau is pronounced “aya” to rhyme with slayer).
I understand Jau chapesch
My name is ... Jeu hai num ...
New Year greetings In bien niev onn
Over there  Vi leu
Please Per plaschair
Please say that again Pudessas ti repeter quai?
Please speak more slowly Pudessas ti discurrer pli plaun?
Pleased to meet you Fa plaschair
Reply to 'How are you?' Fitg bain, grazia. E ti? Puter: Fich bun, grazcha. E tü?
Reply to thank you Anzi
Sorry I ma displacha
Thank you Grazia Puter: Grazcha
Welcome Bainvegni
What's your name? Co haveis vus num?
Where's the toilet / bathroom? Nua è tualetta?
You're welcome  anzi
Yes Gea
No Na
Maybe Forse
Excuse me, where is the train station? Perdunai, nua è la staziun da tren?
What time is it? Co tard ei il?
Can you help me? Pudessas ti agidarm?
I'm looking for a restaurant Jau tschertga ina chamana
I am lost Jau sun perdì
Can I have the bill, please? Pudessi avair il conto, per plaschair?
Where can I buy a SIM card? Nua poss jau cumprar ina carta SIM?
How do I get to the airport? Co vegn jau a l'aviatic?
One ticket to ..., please In billet per ..., per plaschair
How much does it cost? Quant costa quai?
Could you recommend a good hotel? Pudessas ti recumandar in bun hotel?
Where can I rent a car? Nua poss jau louar ina macchina?
How far is it to ...? Co lunsch ei fin a ...?
Is it safe to walk around here at night? È segir dad ir enturn qua la notg?
Can I have the menu, please? Pudessi avair il menu, per plaschair?
I am vegetarian Jau sun vegetarier
Can I have a glass of water, please? Pudessi avair in glats d'aua, per plaschair?
Where can I find a pharmacy? Nua chattel jau ina farmacia?
I need a doctor Jau basegna in medic
Can you call a taxi for me? Pudessas ti clamar in taxi per mei?
What is the exchange rate? Co è il curs da scambel?
Is there a public telephone around here? Ha ei in telefon public enturn qua?
I need help Jau basegna agid
Where can I find a supermarket? Nua chattel jau in supermarket?
Is there a bus stop nearby? Ha ei ina fermada da bus enstagl?
What time does the last train/bus leave? Co tard parta il davos tren/bus?
Where is the nearest ATM? Nua ei l'automat da banca il pli datiers?
Do you have a map? Hast ti ina carta geografica?
I would like to make a reservation Jau vul far ina reservaziun
Is breakfast included? È il mangiatin inclüdì?
How do I get to the city center? Co vegn jau al center da la citad?
Where can I find a tourist information office? Nua chattel jau in biro d'infurmaziun per turists?
What are the opening hours of the museum? Co èn las uras d'avertura dal museum?
Do you have Wi-Fi? Hast ti Wi-Fi?

* "Puter" is one of the five major dialects of the Romansh language, spoken mainly in the Engadine region of Switzerland. The dialects of Romansh can vary significantly from one valley to another. In the example phrases provided earlier, "Puter" indicates that the given phrase is a variant of the standard Romansh phrase, specifically in the Puter dialect. This helps speakers of the Puter dialect understand and use the correct form of the phrase in their dialect.

Videos[edit | edit source]

About the Romansh language[edit | edit source]

Man speaking Romansh[edit | edit source]

Romansh - Rumantsch[edit | edit source]

Romansh: Switzerland's Mountain Language[edit | edit source]

Sources[edit | edit source]

Other Lessons[edit | edit source]

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