Do they speak german in geneva? or is it french only?

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Fins

Yes, German / Swiss-German is spoken in Geneva, too.

Geneva belongs to la Suisse romande (French-speaking Switzerland). While French is the official language, English, German, Italian and Spanish are widely spoken.

English is the official language of most multinational companies and international groups based in Geneva, where nearly 100,000 English speakers are based.

Nevertheless, attempts to speak French are appreciated by the locals. The Genevois tend to speak relatively slowly, with a lilting accent.

The national languages in Switzerland are German (70%), French (19%), Italian (10%) and Romansch (1%).

Schoggola

Geneva is in the part of Switzerland known as Romandie/Romandy, where the main language is French. Although it is a very international place due to the number of foreigners working in embassies, international organizations and the such, you will find a high percentage of people that speak languages other than French. But realize that asking that question is like asking if they speak Spanish in Tampa. While there ARE a lot of Spanish-speaking people in Tampa, the natives mainly speak English, and it's a similar situation in Geneva. The Romands are not big fans of speaking German (read up on the infamous RÃ¶stigraben) so if you need to use it as a common language for lack of another, sure, go ahead and use your basic German, but if you plan on living there for a while, you will be better off learning French or using your English. About 15% of the inhabitants speak German, but those are more likely to be Swiss Germans who live there (and who are more multilingual than the Romands and who speak Swiss German and Swiss High German) or Germans.

Ramadas M

German, French and Italian, all the 3 are official languages in Confederata Helvetica (Switzerland). Depending upon the nearness to France, Germany and Italy the population in that area speak that language mainly. Swiss German is slightly differently spoken than High German, but any person with knowledge of German can pick it up in a few days. German is also spoken in Geneva.

Michael

it wont be an issue. its a common language there

Esmeralda

they speak french, german, italian and romanisch

Cheryl

Switzerland has four national languages: German, French, Italian and Rumantsch

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