If you've ever traveled to Switzerland’s French-speaking region, you might have noticed that some words sound slightly different from those in France. 🤔 While the Swiss speak French fluently, their version of the language includes unique words and expressions that don’t exist in France. Look at some Swiss French words and phrases you won’t hear in Paris!

Nonante and septante
In Switzerland, Belgium, and parts of Africa, people use:
Septante (70) instead of the French soixante-dix (literally "sixty-ten").
Nonante (90) instead of quatre-vingt-dix (literally "four-twenty-ten").
Why? The French system (using sixty-ten, four-twenty-ten) is based on old vigesimal counting (20s), while Swiss French keeps things simple and logical.
So, if you’re ever confused about numbers in Switzerland, remember:
🇨🇭 70 = septante | 90 = nonante
🇫🇷 70 = soixante-dix | 90 = quatre-vingt-dix
As for 80, it is still quatre-vingt in some French-speaking cantons, and huitante in others.

Y en a point comme nous – a Swiss motto
This popular phrase means "There’s no one like us" and is often used to express Swiss pride and unity.🇨🇭 Fun fact: it’s so renowned that it has even been printed on Swiss Army knives!

Ça joue? – The Swiss way to say "Is that okay?"
French speakers in Switzerland often say "Ça joue?" to ask:
"Is that okay?"
"Does that work for you?"
"Everything good?"
Equivalent expressions in France: "Ça marche?" or "C’est bon?"
Example:
🧑‍💻 "On se voit à trois heures?"
🧑‍🎓 "Ça joue!"

"Bien du plaisir!"
That sounds nice, but in Swiss French, when someone says "Bien du plaisir!" it often means "Good luck with that!" (in a slightly ironic way).
Example:
🧑‍💻 "Je dois remplir mes impôts ce soir."
🧓 "Bien du plaisir!" (= "Have fun with that… 😏")

"Faire une panosse" means mop the floor in Swiss French
In standard French, you’d say passer la serpillière. In Switzerland, une panosse is a mop or a floor cloth, so faire une panosse means to clean the floor with it.