Languages in Brussels - What are the languages spoken in Belgium (2024)

FAQs

What languages do they speak in Brussels? ›

The capital region of Brussels is bilingual, so Belgians normally speak French and Flemish fluently. Normally locals also speak English. Belgium has three official languages: French, Dutch and German.

Belgium has 3 official languages: Dutch, French and German.

The language locals speak depends on the region where you are.

French and Dutch are the two languages generally spoken in Belgium. Belgium comprises two regions: the Flemish region and the Wallonian region. In the Walloon region, 40% of people speak French, compared to 59% of the Flemish region's inhabitants who speak Dutch. The remaining 1% speak German.

French is the language spoken by 80 percent of the population in Brussels and consider it to be their first language.

If you are in Wallonia, or Brussels, say “merci”. If you are in Flanders, say “dank U” or “dank je wel”. If you are in Eupen, say “danke schön”. If you don't want to speak French, Dutch, or German, English is known across the country and saying “thank you” is fine.

Like any other country, Belgium also has official languages. These are Dutch, French and German. These three languages are spoken in areas that are more or less delineated. Mid-last century, language areas were delineated on the basis of language use.

Dutch is very similar to German, especially with regards to vocabulary, but the grammar is very different. It could be argued that Dutch has developed further and has become more simplified. The difference between the two languages is very clear when you look at the four cases.

Belgium's religious tradition is Catholic, although Protestant churches, mosques, synagogues and temples are found in most cities. About 65% of the population is Christian, of which 58% are Catholic. Members of Protestant, Eastern Orthodox churches and other Christian denominations make up 7%.

Outside the country, Belgium is best known for its chocolate, waffles, fries and beer. Though Belgium has many distinctive national dishes, many internationally popular foods like hamburgers and spaghetti bolognese are also popular in Belgium, and most of what Belgians eat is also eaten in neighbouring countries.

Why is Belgium split in two? ›

Since independence, socio-economic imbalances have fueled resentment between the two communities. Since the 1960s, separate regions have been created based on the country's linguistic division.

Brussels, the capital of Belgium presented a special problem: the Dutch-speaking people constituted a majority in the country, but a minority in the capital. In Brussels, 80% of the population spoke French while 20% were Dutch-speaking.

While Dutch may have some challenges, it's not considered one of the most difficult languages for English speakers to learn. The degree of difficulty you'll encounter largely depends on your prior language learning experience, your exposure to the language, and your individual aptitude and motivation.

The most obvious difference when talking with or listening to speakers of Dutch and Flemish is the pronunciation. Even to the untrained ear, the two dialects sound very different. While Flemish tends towards French pronunciations, Dutch in the Netherlands has more of an English feel.

What is the Dutch language? The Dutch language is a West Germanic language that is the national language of the Netherlands and, with French and German, one of the three official languages of Belgium. Dutch is also called Netherlandic or Dutch Nederlands; in Belgium it is called Flemish or Flemish Vlaams.

The internationalisation of Brussels is increasingly reflected in the languages spoken in the region. The latest Language Barometer shows almost half of the region's citizens speak English fluently and Dutch speakers are on the rise, while French is losing ground.

Spoken Walloon sounds similar to French in terms of its pronunciation, and the two languages have some vocabulary in common. Despite these similarities, Walloon and standard French are not mutually intelligible. The Walloon language is considered a minority language; most speakers are over 60.