Multilingualism is a beauty of Belgium that might seem scary at the first glance. Fear not, however – the languages are beautiful and not too hard to learn. Why not give them a try?
French
The French language is known for its elegance and precision. It is a very logical language and has relatively simple grammar. It is also a very phonetic language, meaning that words are pronounced the way they are spelt. This makes it relatively easy to learn for English speakers.
The French language is a beautiful language to speak and is sure to impress your friends and colleagues. It is also a great way to learn more about French culture and history. So why not give it a try? Bon courage!
Now, what to keep in mind about learning French? French is a very phonetic language, meaning the pronunciation of each word is very consistent – that’s a pro! French is also a verb-based language, meaning verbs are always at the forefront. It has two main verb tenses, past and present, and two main verb moods, indicative and subjunctive
It’s also important to remember that French has more than 16 verb conjugations, making it one of the most conjugated languages in the world.
French is the most important language in the region of Wallonia.
Dutch
The Dutch language is heavily inflected, meaning that the order of words in a sentence is not as important as the individual words themselves. Dutch has three genders (masculine, feminine, and neuter), two numbers (singular and plural), and four cases (nominative, accusative, genitive, and dative). Dutch also has two verb tenses (present and past), and three verb moods (indicative, subjunctive, and imperative).
Dutch is a relatively easy language to learn for English speakers, mostly because grammar is relatively simple and the vocabulary is very similar. There are several Dutch language courses available online and in print.
It is also the most useful language to know in Belgium if you plan to move to the Flanders area.
German
While being in a minority if it comes to spoken languages in Belgium, it is still widely used in Eastern Belgium. German is a phonetic language, which means that words are pronounced as they are written. This makes it easier to learn how to pronounce words correctly. It has four cases: nominative, accusative, dative, and genitive. The case of a noun determines how it is used in a sentence.
