Languages in Brussels: Which languages are spoken?
This article contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase using one of these links, I earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It helps me to keep my site up and running! Read my disclaimer for more information.
Brussels is a wonderful city to visit. It’s a city filled with diversity and people from all around the world.
The diversity of Brussels is reflected perfectly through the language. Languages in Brussels have a long and complex history, a fascinating one too.
Before visiting the city, it’s important to know what language is spoken, so you can prepare for your trip.
Luckily for you, I have visited Brussels and spent time in the city, and I am here to provide a guide on Brussels’ languages.
🇧🇪 When planning a trip to Brussels, I recommend using:
✈️ Flights: Skyscanner
🏨 Hotels: Booking.com
💵 Hostels: Hostelworld
🗺 Tours & Activities: Viator and GetYourGuide
🚗 Car Rental: Discover Cars
🚌 Transport: Flixbus
🏥 Travel Insurance: Safetywing
📱E-SIM: Airalo
💻 VPN: Surfshark
What languages are spoken in Brussels?
There are three official languages in Belgium, they are French, Dutch and German. The country is pretty much divided in half with a French and Flemish (Dutch) region, and a small part of the country that speaks German.
Brussels is found in the Flemish half of Belgium, meaning you would expect the language of Brussels to exclusively be Dutch.
But this isn’t the case.
The languages of Brussels are French and Flemish.
Despite being in a Flemish-speaking region, Brussels in itself is bilingual, having two official languages.
You can see from the map above that Brussels is pretty odd when it comes to languages. It’s got 2 languages even though it is in the Flemish region.
To understand why there is such a weird divide in languages in Brussels, you need to go back hundreds of years to when Belgium was controlled by Spain and France and the Netherlands etc. and the centuries of changing of power in Europe.
But that’s a story for another day, and something worth googling if you are interested in the history of the languages in the Belgian capital.
The biggest reason that there is French spoken in Brussels, despite being historically Dutch-speaking, is because, in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many immigrants in Brussels who originated in Brussels felt the need to learn French also, as it was the dominant language throughout Belgium and used in the higher classes in business, etc.
That’s one of the main reasons Brussels was officially declared bilingual in 1962.
As mentioned in the introduction, Brussels is an incredibly diverse city, with over 180 different nationalities living in the city. As a result, there are many languages spoken by the people of Brussels. You can find people speaking Arabic quite commonly, as well as Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Polish and Greek. All of which are widely spoken.
And if you are wondering about English, yes, it’s really common in Brussels.
Brussels is a really popular city for nomads to live in. Meaning people from all over the world head to Brussels. The common language is English, so most people in the city will speak it, especially the younger generations.
Brussels is also home to one of the European Parliaments, which means that it’s a key city for Europeans. Again, a common language is needed and it’s English. So you can get by with just English in Brussels, for sure.
But to summarise, the official languages in Brussels are French and Flemish (Dutch).
Which language is most common in Brussels?
Officially, there is a 50/50 split between French and Flemish in Brussels.
In reality, this isn’t the case.
French is much more common in Brussels than Flemish. I spent 3 days in the city and I only heard a handful of people speaking Flemish, almost everyone speaks French.
Street signs will have both the French and Flemish names on them. For example, the Grand Place is French. In Flemish, it is the Grote Markt. If you take a tour of Brussels, you will likely learn about how the Grote Markt was actually the original name for the iconic square.
Most people who speak Flemish as their mother tongue will also speak French and/or English too as a second language, which is another reason why Flemish is less popular.
During your trip to Brussels, expect to hear a lot of French. It’s without a doubt the main language in Brussels, although legally French and Flemish are equal.
French Phrases to learn before visiting Brussels
Before visiting a city, it’s important to learn some useful phrases in the local language. Not only does this help you understand the basics, but it’s also a nice gesture to the locals that you are attempting to speak the language. Since French is more common, you’ll want to spend more time focusing on French phrases to learn.
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello |
| Merci | Thank you |
| S’il vous plaît | Please |
| Au revoir | Goodbye |
| Ça va | How are you? |
| Excusez-moi | Excuse me |
| Oui | Yes |
| Non | No |
| Je ne comprends pas | I don’t understand |
| Où est… | Where is… |
Learning these phrases will allow you to get by in Brussels. But don’t worry, most people in Brussels speak English. It’s a very popular city for nomads so you are never too far away from someone who speaks English.
Flemish Phrases to learn before visiting Brussels
If you want to really embrace the Brussels way of life, you may also wish to learn some useful phrases in Flemish. Here are the same 10 phrases but in Flemish. As I said before, it’s less common, but they might come in useful.
| Flemish | English |
|---|---|
| Hallo | Hello |
| Dank je | Thank you |
| Alstublieft | Please |
| Tot ziens | Goodbye |
| Hoe gaat het met jou? | How are you? |
| Excuseer me | Excuse me |
| Ja | Yes |
| Neen | No |
| Ik begrijp het niet | I don’t understand |
| Waar is… | Where is… |
Flemish can be a little harder to pronounce, but once you get the hang of it, it’s a pretty fun language to learn! If you understand both French, Flemish and English then Brussels is worth visiting for you even more than the average person.
Languages Brussels: FAQ
Below are some questions commonly asked about languages in Brussels, along with their respective answers.
There are 2 official languages in Brussels. French and Flemish (Dutch). Although the languages are officially 50/50, you will hear a lot more French than Flemish during a trip to the Belgian capital.
There are 3 official languages of Belgium. They are French, Flemish (Dutch) and German. French is spoken in the South, Flemish in the North and German to the East. There is one exception: Brussels. It is in the Flemish region but is bilingual and both French and Flemish are spoken.
Yes, Brussels is bilingual. Both French and Flemish are the official languages of Brussels. Despite being in the Flemish-speaking region of Belgium, Brussels’ languages are Flemish and French. And French is actually much more common too.
French and Flemish are spoken in Brussels. It is a bilingual city and both languages are evenly spoken, officially. In reality, French is spoken a lot more than Dutch.
Brussels is much more French than Flemish. Officially, the languages are spoken evenly but this is not the case. You will see street signs in French and Flemish, menus in French and Flemish, etc., but French is much more widely spoken.
Yes, English is spoken pretty widely in Brussels. Brussels attracts nomads from all over the world, and lots of different nationalities settle in Brussels. As a result, English has become increasingly popular and most people in the city will speak it.
Languages Brussels: Conclusion
And there you have it, a complete guide to the languages in Brussels.
Remember, Brussels is in the Flemish-speaking half of Belgium.
But the official languages of Brussels are French and Flemish.
And French is more popular.
So if you are planning to visit Brussels, expect to hear French as the most popular of the languages in Brussels.
