Do They Speak English in Belgium?

You might wonder “Do they speak English in Belgium?”. Well, you’ve come to the right place!

Yes, they do!

English isn’t one of the three official languages but is the fourth most frequently used language in Belgium. So you’ll have no problem getting by in English when visiting Belgium.

💡 Brief Details:

✔️ Like in any country, there will always be some people who don’t speak English.

✔️ But in general, Belgians are quite fluent in English and you shouldn’t have any trouble communicating with them.

Belgium’s official languages

Dutch

👉 The most spoken native language in Belgium is Dutch, which is also the official language of the Flemish Community and Flemish Region. It’s one of two official languages in the Brussels Capital Region (along with French).

💡Brief Details:

✔️ Although Dutch from The Netherlands and Dutch from Belgium are the same languages, there is a distinct difference in pronunciation. Other than that, some words are unique to Belgian Dutch. These are called Belgicisms.

✔️ The most popular Dutch dialects in Belgium are Brabantian, West Flemish, East Flemish, and Limburgish.

French

👉 French is the official language of the French Community and is spoken by roughly one-third of the population. It is the primary (Belgian) language for approximately one-third of all Belgian speakers.

💡 Brief Details:

✔️ French is the most widely spoken language in Wallonia and Brussels, the capital region. It is also spoken in the Brussels Capital Region.

✔️ Many Flemish people speak French as a second language as well.

German

👉 German is not spoken by many people in Belgium, with less than 1% of the population speaking it natively.

🗣 The German-speaking Community of Belgium numbers 77,000 and lives in an area that used to be part of the German Empire.

🗣 This area was ceded to Belgium as part of the Treaty of Versailles after World War I. However, during World War II, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium and took back this region. After the war ended, it was returned to Belgian control once again.

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Do they speak English in Belgium FAQ

However, there will always be exceptions to the rule and you may occasionally run into someone who doesn’t speak English.

But for the most part, Belgians are quite fluent in English and you shouldn’t have any trouble communicating with them.

💡 Although it isn’t one of the country’s three official languages, it is the fourth most popular language. So if you go to Belgium, you should be fine speaking English.

Of course, like in any other country, some people won’t speak English. However, Belgians are perfectly competent speakers of English and should not pose any difficulties communicating with them.

So you’ll be just fine with speaking English when living in Belgium.

There may be some people who don’t speak English, but in general, Belgians are quite fluent in the language and you shouldn’t have any trouble communicating with them.

❗️The only difficulty you may encounter is needing to communicate for an official matter.

For example, if you need a new id card you will have to go to the town hall. Then you will need to either learn some Dutch or French or get someone who can translate for you. But for everyday life, English is perfectly fine.

In fact, it’s the fourth most popular language.

🗣 So if you go to Belgium, you won’t have trouble with speaking English. Of course, there will always be a few people who don’t speak English in any country because it is not the official language of Belgium.

🗣 However, Belgians generally know how to speak English quite well, and communicating with them shouldn’t pose any difficulties.

English is not one of Belgium’s three official languages, yet it is widely spoken. Brussels is a very popular tourist destination, and visitors from all across the world will tell you that the residents there speak English fluently.

There may be a few exceptions, but on the whole, Belgians are excellent speakers of English. So don’t be concerned about being unable to communicate in Brussels, especially with the younger people!

final thoughts: do they speak english in belgium?

Belgium is home to three official languages: Dutch, French, and German. While the majority of Belgians speak one of these three languages as their mother tongue, many Belgians are also adept at speaking English.

In fact, English is the most widely spoken foreign language in Belgium, with around 70% of Belgians being able to communicate in English to some degree.

Therefore, if you are visiting Belgium and don’t know any of the local languages, you can be assured that most people will be able to understand you if you speak English.