So, with Oktoberfest celebrations in full swing all around the world, especially in Munich, we are helping you communicate in the best Bavarian way possible. You are planning to visit a Bavarian Beerhouse - or you might even open your own Beerhause as part of our Franchise offer! Does that mean you now need to learn how to speak Bavarian?
First of all: Don't panic! That's definitely not a requirement! After all, while our restaurant concept is German/Bavarian, we are of course international!
But: To help our guests and make learning easy, we printed the most common vocabulary on the napkins. In doing this we made sure that everyone had at least the possibility to learn a bit of Bavarian.
Do they speak Bavarian in Bavaria?
The Free State of Bavaria is a part of Germany. That means that, technically, the language that Bavarian people speak is mostly Standard German. Bavarian, however, is a variety or dialect of the German language. It even has its own vocabulary and pronunciation.
For many English-speaking people, German (i.e. Standard German) is a rather difficult language to learn. For one, German has a variety of sounds and pronounciations that are unfamiliar to English native speakers. Now, guess what? Even a majority of the German population would have problems speaking (or understanding) Bavarian in its original form!
Do you speak Bavarian in the Bavarian Beerhouses?
A traditional Bavarian Beerhouse is one of the places where you actually might encounter people speaking Bavarian.
However, as far as our Bavarian Beerhouses are concerned, Bavarian expressions are mainly confined to the menu and entertainment. After all, it's what makes the experience more genuine. And it can also be a lot of fun! That's why we have listed a few typical Bavarian words/expressions that you might encounter - either with us or perhaps at your next Oktoberfest visit. So, here's a bit of:
Bavarian (Beerhouse) Vocabulary
The structure of this overview is: Bavarian - Standard German - English - "Pronunciation" (approximate pronunciation only, since some of the sounds are different from what is used in the English language):
Bitt schee - bitte, bitteschön - please, there you go - "bitshea"
Dangschee - danke, dankeschön - thanks, thank you - "dungshea"
Gaudi - Spaß - fun - "gowdee"
guad - gut - good - "guad"
heid - heute - today - "hyte"
i - ich - I - "eeh"
Maß/Mass - Liter Bier - litre/33.8 US fl oz beer - "mass"
Musi - Musik - music - "moosee"
O'zapft is! - Es ist angezapft! - It (the beer keg) is tapped!" (announcement that starts the Oktoberfest) - "ohtsapft is"
Servus - Tschüss/Hallo - bye-bye/hello - "sairvus"
Spezl/Spezi - sehr guter Freund oder Kumpel - very good friend or pal - "shpeatsl/shpeatseeh"
Stein - Stein/Bierstein/Bierkrug - Stein (lit: stone, but in this context it means a beer mug) - "shtyn"
Trankerl - Trunk, Getränk - a drink - "trunkerl"
Wiesn - Oktoberfest (Theresienwiese) - "veezn" (lit: meadow, nickname for the annual Oktoberfest in Munich)
These are, of course, just a few selected words and expressions that might come in handy.
And if you need consulting that goes faaaaaaar beyond just a few words, check out our services for restaurant consulting!