Communicating in Switzerland?

Question

I know the predominant language is German, but is it very useful to know French or Italian?

Answer 1

Depends where in Switzerland. The languages are almost entirely compartmentalized, with few French speakers (somewhat more Italian speakers) in the German part (Zurich, Lucerne, Bern, Interlaken, St. Gallen) and very few German speakers in the French part (Geneva, Lausanne, Neuchatel). In the only-Italian part, Ticino (Lugano, Locarno), you will find that people also speak French and/or German, and in the German/Italian/Romansch part (Davos, St. Moritz) they generally speak German and Italian (very few actually speak Romansch). A few cities (Fribourg, Biel/Bienne) and a few cantons (Fribourg, Valais/Wallis) are officially German-French bilingual, but it doesn't mean the people themselves are.

If you're just travelling in Switzerland, you'll get by fine with German or even just English. If you plan to move to Lausanne, learn French. (Geneva is much more international; plenty of people there only speak English (or Albanian, Croatian, Yoruba...)). If you're moving to Zurich, welcome and good luck. The German in Switzerland is NOT what you learned in school!

Answer 2

French is good to know around Geneva and Italian in around Tessin.

Answer 3

A lot of people there speak French.