It used to be the case that nearly all the material for learning Romansh was available in German only.
If you want to learn Romansh and you understand German, our advice is still that you should use the extensive German-based resources rather than this course.

This Internet course in English is thus intended primarily for learners with little or no knowledge of German.
It has been adapted from the standard Romansh course devised by Gieri Menzli and published by the Lia Rumantscha (with illustrations by Simon Jacomet). We should like to express our thanks to them for permission to use and adapt it.

The course is intended mainly for adult learners. It is basically a descriptive course, but with several suggested exercises.

You should start by reading the special section on “Spelling and Pronunciation”.
You will not assimilate all of this at one go, but you can keep returning to it as often as necessary.
 
 

Each unit is subdivided into four different parts:

1. A short text in Romansh, usually followed by a number of questions to test your comprehension.
In some cases, audio clips are available. These are indicated by the “sound” button. Just click it to download an audio file. If your computer does not have the necessary software for reading such files, follow the instructions on how to download or order it.
(A cassette is also available with the reading passages for Units 1-18 and a selection of exercises. You can order it from the Lia Rumantsch in Chur, Switzerland. www.liarumantscha.ch).
 

2. Notes on any new points of grammar and usage.
 

3. A list of new vocabulary.
    Some units include special thematic vocabulary lists, such as names of countries.
 

4. A number of suggested exercises, you might like to try by yourself.
    The short translations into Romansh are the best way to test your progress.
 

Regrettably, we cannot offer a regular tutor service, but a key will be provided for most of the exercises. If, however, you have any specific questions, do not hesitate to e-mail us. The answers to your questions will be incorporated in an appropriate place in the course as soon as possible.
 
 
 

People often ask us: is Romansh difficult to learn?

Let us begin with the good news.
With few exceptions, most of the sounds of Romansh are easy for English speakers to produce. The word order is generally similar, and those aspects of grammar that are different can be assimilated gradually without demanding too much of you. If you happen to know one or more of the Neo-Latin languages (Italian, French, Romanian, Catalan, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.) that will make learning Romansh easier for you. Classical Latin might also help a little.
The less good news is that Romansh has several different traditional versions (which we call “idioms”).
For advanced learners, the main implication is that they will eventually need to learn a wider vocabulary than for most other languages.
That need not worry beginners. They will only need to concentrate on the modern unified language: Rumantsch Grischun, which is used for this course.
Later on, we shall draw you attention to the main differences between the various versions of Romansh.
Rumantsch Grischun is an excellent springboard for doing this.
It is now also is the language used for all new official texts and most Romansh websites (including our own Romansh pages).
It is also used for some modern literature.
You can use it to write to any Romansh speaker.
 

That’s enough by way of introduction!
 We wish you ‘buna fortuna’ or the best of luck as you set about learning Romansh!
 
 

Click here to start the course.