20+ Interesting Facts About Languages In Belgium
Is Belgian a language?
No, Belgian is a nationality and is used to describe a person from Belgium regardless the language they speak.
What are the official languages of Belgium?
The three official languages in Belgium are Dutch, spoken in Flanders in northern Belgium, French in Wallonia in southern Belgium, and German in eastern Wallonia.
How do you say thank you in Belgium?
Depending on where you are in Belgium you could say "thank you" in Dutch "dank je", in French "merci" and in German "Danke".
Is French an official language in Belgium?
French is the official language of Wallonia in southern Belgium. According to the 2024 Eurobarometer, French is the mother tongue of 36% of the population.
Is Belgian French different to the French used in France?
Belgian French uses words not found in French from France, such as septante for 70 and nonante for 90 instead of soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix.
Is Dutch an official language in Belgium?
Dutch is the official language of Flanders in northern Belgium. According to the 2024 Eurobarometer, Dutch is the mother tongue of 50% of the population.
Is German official in Belgium?
German is the official language of the German-speaking community in eastern Belgium (Wallonia). German speakers represent less than 1% of the population of Belgium.
Is Brussels officially bilingual?
Both French and Dutch are the official languages of the region of Brussels.
What type of Dutch is spoken in Belgium?
Flemish is the variant of Dutch spoken in Flanders, northern Belgium.
What is Tussentaal?
Tussentaal is a colloquial form of Flemish (Dutch) spoken in Flanders. It mixes local varieties of Flemish with the standard form of the language.
Is Luxembourgish spoken in Belgium?
Luxembourgish, a Germanic language, has historically been spoken in Arlon in Wallonia, near Luxembourg. Common phrases include moien (hello) and äddi (goodbye).
What is Walloon?
Walloon, an Oïl language related to French, is the traditional Romance language spoken in Wallonia.
How many Belgians can speak Spanish?
According to the 2024 Eurobarometer, 9% of Belgians can have a conversation in Spanish.
How many native speakers of Italian are there in Belgium?
According to the 2024 Eurobarometer, 1% of Belgians declared Italian to be their native language.
Is Limburgish spoken in Belgium?
Limburgish is a regional Germanic language spoken in northeastern Belgium.
Is Champenois spoken in Belgium?
Champenois is the traditional Romance language of several towns in the province of Namur in Southern Belgium.
Is Lorrain spoken in Belgium?
Lorrain is the traditional Romance language of Gaume in Wallonia, Belgium.
Is Picard spoken in Belgium?
Picard is the traditional Romance language of Picardy Wallonia in Southern Belgium. Common phrases include bojour (hello) and à l'arvoïure (goodbye).
Was Brussels always a French-speaking city?
Historically, Brussels was a Dutch-speaking city, but it is now predominantly French-speaking.
How many Belgians can speak English?
According to the 2024 Eurobarometer, 58% of Belgians can have a conversation in English.
What languages has Belgium used at the Eurovision Song Contest?
Belgium has participated in Eurovision with songs in French, Dutch, English and imaginary languages. Prior to Eurovision allowing countries to send songs in any language, all countries were only allowed to participate with songs in the language(s) of the country, therefore, in the past, Belgium would only send songs in French and Dutch.
With what language has Belgium won the Eurovision Song Contest?
Belgium's only Eurovision win was in French in 1986 with Sandra Kim's song "J'aime la vie". The song was also Belgium's best-selling song of 1986.
Has Belgium participated in the Eurovision Song Contest with songs in imaginary languages?
Yes, Belgium has entered Eurovision with songs in imaginary languages in 2003 with "Sanomi" by Urban Trad and in 2008 with "O Julissi" by Ishtar. "Sanomi" finished in 2nd position just behind Turkey and "O Julissi" did not qualify for the final, finishing in 17th position in the semifinal.
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