Forms of Address & Titles in Switzerland Home > Business Guide > Table of Contents > Names & Greetings > Forms of Adress
All three main languages of Switzerland have
two sets of personal pronouns. The most useful for
business usage is the formal form (Sie, Vous and Lei), but you may encounter the informal forms, du,
tu and tu used within families and close friends. If
an acquaintance offers to switch to the informal
form, that is a sure sign of a personal relationship
beginning. However, you should not expect it
before much time has passed and in any case you
should never propose it yourself.
In German-speaking Switzerland, you should address men as Herr Bucher, or Frau Bucher for
women. People who hold a doctorate should
always be called Herr Dr. Schmidt, and if you meet a
University Professor (this commands much prestige
in Switzerland) you are expected to use Herr
Dr. Professor Zaehringen.
In the French-speaking part, people are usually
addressed as Monsieur or Madame. Attorneys of
both sexes will be offended if you do not call them Maître (literally: Master), and those who spent
years writing a thesis will be grateful for a Dr. Supersaxo.
Finally, people in Ticino have taken the taste of
their Italian cousins for exaggeration, and people
who hold any degree should be referred to as Dottore Casanova. For the rest, Signore or Signora will do. |