Do They Speak German in Belgium?

Do they speak German in Belgium?

Belgium has three official languages: French, Dutch, and German. While the majority of the population speaks either French or Dutch, there is also a significant German-speaking minority in Belgium.

👉 Therefore, you will likely be able to find people who speak German in Belgium. However, since French and Dutch are the dominant languages, you may have more difficulty finding people who speak German exclusively.

Belgium’s official languages

In Belgium, the official languages are German, Dutch, and French. Dutch is the primary language spoken in the northern region of the country, while French is more prevalent in the southern region.

🗣 German is also spoken throughout Belgium, but to a lesser extent than either Dutch or French. While most Belgians are bilingual or trilingual, some only speak one of the three official languages.

Is German widely spoken in Belgium?

👉 No, German is not widely spoken in Belgium. While there are a significant number of people who speak German as a first or second language, French and Dutch are the dominant languages in Belgium.

This means that you may have difficulty finding people who only speak German.

Where do they speak German in Belgium?

👉 German is spoken throughout Belgium, but to a lesser extent than either Dutch or French. While most Belgians are bilingual or trilingual, some only speak one of the three official languages.

This means that you won’t find lots of people who only speak German. However, in general, you should be able to find someone who speaks German in the eastern part of Belgium. This part is called the German community of Belgium.

Brief Facts:

🗣 The German-speaking Community is bordered to the north by the Belgium-Germany-Netherlands border tripoint, to the east by Germany, to the south by Luxembourg, and to the west by the territory of the French-speaking Community of Belgium.

🗣 The German-speaking Community in Belgium is situated within nine municipalities and Eupen holds the seat of government, parliament, and administrative center.

🗣 The Belgian French Community is a community in Belgium that includes the municipalities of Malmedy and Weismes.

🗣 The nine German-speaking communities were previously known as Eupen-Malmedy-St. Vith, but are now commonly called East Belgium or East Cantons because of their shared political history.

🗣 In March 2017, the government of the German-speaking community decided to rebrand the area as East Belgium.

🗣 Furthermore, even before 1920, German was spoken in several other places that are now part of Belgium (the line between German, Dutch, Luxembourgish, and Limburgish is small since they form part of the same dialect continuum), but which were not then considered a part of the German-speaking Community of Belgium: Bleiberg-Welkenraedt-Baelen and Arelerland.

Frequently Asked Questions  

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Brief Facts:

🗣The East Cantons were part of Prussia’s Rhine Province until 1920, but they were incorporated into Belgium as a result of Germany’s defeat in World War I and the subsequent Treaty of Versailles.

🗣 The people of these areas soon became known as the “redeemed cantons”.

🗣 In the mid-1920s, Germany and Belgium held secret negotiations about the possible sale of German territory back to Germany. This would have helped improve Belgium’s financial situation.

🗣 By this stage, the French government had gotten involved with Brussels; they were afraid of the postwar order unraveling. The Belgian-German talks ended as a result.

🗣 Belgium had only been reunited with the new cantons for 20 years when Germany took them back in World War II.

🗣 Following the defeat of Germany in 1945, Belgium reclaimed the cantons, and as a consequence of alleged collaboration with Nazi Germany, attempts were made to de-Germanize the local population by Belgian and Walloon authorities.

🗣 In 1973, three communities and three regions were founded, each with its own internal autonomy.: the legislative Parliament of the German-speaking Confederation.

🗣 Although the German-speaking Community has a certain degree of autonomy, especially when it comes to language and culture, it is still part of the region known as Wallonia where French is the predominant language.