How it works in CH: medical payments, parking, and phone conversations

It's 2 degrees C and raining (35°F) in Zürich.

This is how the Swiss medical system works:

I visit the dermatologist's office to get a refill of a medication. They ask me what volume I want. They hand it over. I ask about a bill. They wave me off, saying they'll send it in three months, in case we need anything else during that time, so it can all be lumped together in one bill. Basically, they put it on my tab, which is settled 4 times a year. So interesting.

This is how the covered parking at Migros in Thalwil works:

I drive in. I park. I forget to pay. I come back and remember about paying before I do another errand in the same area. I pay at the little machine. It tells me in no uncertain terms two things:

1. The ticket "muss nicht im Auto deponiert werden."

This is when you must know the difference between German and English with the word "must." In the positive sense, it's the same. If you "muss", you must. But in the negative, when in English we say "must not," it means you're not allowed to. However, in German, "must not" means you ARE allowed to, but you are not REQUIRED to. For "must not" they have another verb ("ich darf nicht" = I must not). So in this case, you are NOT REQUIRED to display the ticket on the car dashboard.

2. I must "aufbewahren" the ticket.

I knew this meant SOMETHING, but didn't know what. You'd think I would have that one down by now. I whipped out my trusty iPhone and used the Ultralingua application to translate: keep, store, save. Ah, fine. I put it in my pocket and went shopping. 

Afterwards, one just drives out. No barriers or anything. It's the honor system.

This is how two phone conversations in German-speaking Switzerland on the same morning can go:

a) I start in High German. The other person stays in Swiss-German the whole time. I understand just enough to make the hair appointment, and hang up. Did the lady really not speak any High German, or was she so impressed with mine that she assumed I could understand Swiss-German?

b) I start in High German. The other person switches to broken English with a Turkish accent. We understand each other, but I sometimes go back to German because I think he understands it better than English. Does he not speak High German, or is he so unimpressed with mine?

Not sure. And I persevere, trying to use the German I'm learning in class every week.

Posted via email from K's Café