Uncover Austrian and German Language Similarities & Variations
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Are Austrian and German languages the identical factor? At their core, sure, they’re each the German language. The alpine nation of Österreich (Austria) is thought for its stunning landscapes, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s music, and its personal distinct number of the German language.
There’s rather a lot that differentiates Österreichisch (Austrian) from the German spoken in Germany. Whether or not you’re studying German and planning a visit to Austria or simply curious, we’ve compiled some widespread questions and Austrian phrases that will help you converse like an area.
Is Austrian a language?
Austrian is quite a lot of the German language, that means that it isn’t its personal language—nevertheless it isn’t only a regional dialect both. That is much like how US English is quite a lot of the English language. There are some notable variations in each vocabulary and grammar between Austrian and normal German, however the Austrian and German languages are nonetheless the identical language.
The Austrian German language isn’t a single dialect both. Specifics can differ between totally different areas of Austria, however there are some traits all of them have in widespread.
How many individuals converse Austrian German?
Austria’s inhabitants is about 9.1 million individuals, and the nation’s solely official language is German. There are some areas in Austria the place languages comparable to Hungarian, Slovakian, or Croatian are spoken, and these languages are acknowledged minority languages in Austria. Nevertheless, the overwhelming majority of the inhabitants speaks Austrian German as their first language.
Important variations between Austrian and Normal German languages
Whereas there isn’t one singular Austrian German dialect, there are some things that characterize Austrian German.
Austrian and German language pronunciations are totally different
Most notable are in all probability the variations in pronunciation, as they are often fairly drastic. You’ll discover that one of many most important variations between the Austrian and German languages is that the previous is a bit softer.
The cruel German “ch” typically will get changed by different sounds or eliminated utterly, consonants get toned all the way down to M’s and A’s, and the frequent use of “oa” and “ia” creates the attribute Austrian German sound.
- The German pronounIch will get shortened to a easy I (ee) in Austrian.
- Ich bin. => I bin. (I’m.)
- Ich bin. => I bin. (I’m.)
- German A’s typically get changed by O’s or “oa” in Austrian.
- Ich habe. => I hob. (I’ve.)
- Was? => Woas? (What?)
- Phrases ending on “-r” in normal German finish on an “-h” or “-a” in Austrian.
- Bier => Biah (beer)
- Wir => Wia (we)
- If a phrase begins with “ge-,” in Normal German, it will get shortened to “g-” in Austrian.
- Geschmack => Gschmack (style)
- Geschichte => Gschichte (story)
- German Ü’s generally get changed by “ia.”
- Grüß dich! => Griaß di! (“Greet you,” a typical greeting)
- Gemütlich => Gmiatlich (cozy)
- The phrase ending “-erl” is a quite common diminutive in Austrian German. In normal German the diminutives are “-chen” and “-lein.”
- Ein bisschen. => A bisserl. (A bit bit.)
- Kätzchen => Katzerl (kitten/little cat)
- If a phrase ends in “-ben” (which is widespread when conjugating verbs in German) it’s changed by “-m” in Austrian.
- Wir haben. = Wia hom. (We have now.)
- Sie geben. = Se gem. (They offer.)
How typically you’ll encounter these variations within the written language will depend on the place you might be in Austria and the context of the textual content. Menus in eating places frequented by German vacationers could also be written with these in thoughts, however in Austrian circles on social media, you’ll typically see the dialect written out.
Austrian greetings are totally different from Normal German
As you study widespread German phrases, saying “Good day” is among the first to deal with. To greet one other particular person in Austria, you may say Servus (“Good day”), a greeting that’s additionally used within the German state of Bavaria. Different widespread greetings are Griaß di (“Greet you,” Grüß dich is the Normal German greeting) to greet a singular particular person and Griaß eich (“Greet you,” Grüß euch in Normal German) for a number of individuals.
The verb haben (to have) is conjugated in another way in Austrian
instance to point out the most typical variations between German and Austrian is the verb “to have.” This desk exhibits the totally different pronouns and German verb conjugations for haben (to have) in each normal German and Austrian German.
| Normal German | Austrian German | English |
| Ich habe | I hob | I’ve |
| Du hast | Du host | You’ve gotten |
| Er/Sie/Es hat | Ea/Sie/Es hod | He/She/It has |
| Sie Haben | Se hom | You’ve gotten (well mannered type) |
| Wir haben | Wia/Mia hom | We have now |
| Ihr habt | Ia hobt | You’ve gotten |
| Sie haben | Se hom | They’ve |
The pronoun “we” has two totally different varieties: It could actually both be Wia or Mia in Austrian German.
Primary Austrian German phrases to study
Austriazismen (Austriazisms) is the time period for phrases which might be distinctive to the Austrian German language.
Right here’s a listing of among the most typical ones you’ll encounter when visiting Austria:
- Erdapfel is the Austrian phrase for Kartoffel (potato). Translated actually, it means “earth apple” and is much like the French phrase pomme de terre (“apple of the earth”).
- Paradeiser is the Austrian number of Tomate (tomato). The phrase is derived from the time period Paradeisapfel (paradise apple.) Notice how the Austrian phrase Paradeis (pah-rah-dice) is nearer to the English phrase “paradise,” as is the usual German Paradies (puh-ruh-deez).
- Heuer means Dieses Jahr (this 12 months) in Austrian German and is a pleasant, brief time period that neither normal German nor English has.
- Obers is a phrase you’ll encounter when exploring Vienna’s well-known café tradition because it means Sahne (cream). A standard number of this phrase is Schlagobers (whipped cream).
- Bussi is Austrian German for Kuss (kiss). Although it’s generally used the identical as “peck” within the English language, it will also be used as a type of “goodbye” when speaking to family members on the telephone or through textual content.
- Schwammerl means Pilz (mushroom) in Austrian. It’s derived from the German phrase Schwamm (sponge) due to a mushroom’s spongy texture. The ending “-erl” can also be a diminutive phrase ending, so the literal translation of Schwammerl could be “little sponge.”
- Schmarrn is a nifty Austrian phrase that means “ineffective,” “idiotic,” or “nonsense.” It’s also a well-liked dessert meal you’ll discover in lots of Austrian eating places. Schmarrn is greatest described as a pancake with raisins, almonds, and powdered sugar that has been torn to bits.
The Austrian phrase Oida!
Oida! Is a phrase you’ll typically hear in Austria. It’s the Austrian equal of the Normal German Alter!, which may be translated as “outdated one.”
- Ein junger Mann schafft das, aber ein alter nicht mehr. = A younger man can do it, however an outdated one can’t.
In each Austrian and Normal German, this phrase is used the identical as “Dude!” may be in English.
- You need to get a pal’s consideration? Ey, Oida!
- You’re stunned by one thing? Oida!
- You’re barely exasperated by an issue? Oida…
Should you say Mei Oida (my outdated one), you need to use this phrase to speak about your husband.
Often requested questions on Austrian German
Studying the nuances of Austrian German will help you converse extra confidently once you go to Austria.
Is Austrian the identical as German?
Austrian is quite a lot of the German language. It has a variety of hallmarks that differentiate it from the Normal German spoken in Germany. Austrian has each phrases and grammar guidelines which might be distinctive to this number of the German language.
Is Austrian German totally different from Swiss German?
Whereas they might seem related at first look, Schweizerdeutsch (Swiss German) and Austrian German aren’t the identical. Swiss is one other language number of German with its personal guidelines and influences.
A number of examples of Swiss German phrases are:
| Swiss German | Normal German | English |
| Mäntig | Montag | Monday |
| Schwyzerdütsch | Schweizerdeutsch | Swiss German |
| Velo | Fahrrad | bike |
If French, you’ll discover that the final instance is identical because the French vélo (bike). There are various examples of Swiss German being influenced by French and Italian, as these languages are additionally each official languages in Switzerland.
Do Austrians determine as German?
Austrians share a language with Germans, and there are some cultural similarities between Austria and southern Germany—such because the Lederhosen (leather-based pants) that you could be see when celebrating Oktoberfest—however they don’t determine as Germans. Austrians have their very own nationwide id that isn’t tied to Germany.
