Viennese — Introductory Course
Viennese is more than a dialect — it is a way of life. The Viennese dialect has absorbed influences from Czech, Hungarian, Yiddish, and Italian, creating something entirely unique. Here are the most important expressions:
| Viennese | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Beisl | Small tavern (from Yiddish) |
| Gspusi | Love affair, fling (from Italian "sposo") |
| Haberer | Buddy, friend |
| Grantler | Grumpy person (but meant affectionately) |
| Baba | Bye (informal) |
| Hawara | Friend, guy (neutral to friendly) |
| Oida | Old man! (Universal word: amazement, annoyance, agreement, rejection — all depending on intonation) |
| Leiwand | Super, great, fantastic |
| Ur- | Intensifying prefix: "ur-leiwand" = especially great |
| Gschissn | Lousy, bad, went wrong |
| Wurscht | Doesn't matter ("Is ma wurscht" = I don't care) |
| Zwicken | Pinch, but also: fare-dodging ("zwicken" = riding without a ticket) |
| Tschick | Cigarette |
| Gstättn | Vacant lot, abandoned property |
| Heisl | Toilet (crude) |
| Gfrast | Pest, figuratively: annoying person |
| Sandler | Homeless person (not meant derogatorily, rather sympathetically) |
The Viennese dialect is characterized by vowel lengthening ("Wiiien"), swallowing of endings ("Hob i g'sogt" = "I said") and a distinctive melody — singing, slightly plaintive, never rushed. To hear it perfected: films by Josef Hader or the series "Vorstadtweiber".
