9 Most Fascinating Things About Belgian French to Help You Boost Your Skills

You probably know that France isn’t the only country where French is spoken.

But you maybe know that French is spoken in Canada.

But did you know that there are in total 29 French-speaking countries?

Even though all of those countries speak French, there are differences between dialects.

Canadian French differs from European French, for example.

While Belgian French is completely different from both of them.

Oh yes, Belgian French.

People mainly don’t pay attention to this French dialect, especially because Belgium is a neighboring country to France. 

These two countries don’t share only borders, but the language, too.

Like France, Belgium is a country located on the European continent.

So, why is Belgian French different from the standard French?

Where are those differences most noticeable?

Can Belgians understand French?

That's what we're about to find out!

Where is Belgian French Spoken?

With more than 11 million speakers, Belgium remains one of the best countries to visit.

This European country is bordered by Netherlands, Germany, France, and Luxembourg.

It is divided into three main regions: Wallonia in the south, The Brussels-Capital region in the middle, and Flanders in the north.

Besides French, there are two more official languages, German and Dutch.

Parts of the country close to the Netherlands mainly speak Dutch. They call themselves the Flemish because they don’t look at themselves as Dutch. You can often hear them saying Dutch is the Flemish language, partly because Flemish is regarded as the Belgian variant of Dutch.

French is spoken in the south, near the border with France. Like the Flemish, people in this region call themselves Walloons, not French.

And, naturally, German is spoken in several areas close to Germany.

As for the capital city, Brussels, both French and Dutch are spoken.

So the mystery is revealed. If you thought that there was one language, the Belgian language, someone crossed you over.

Learning French can give you many benefits and future opportunities. So, if you still haven’t started, now it’s a perfect time.

Book a lesson with French tutors, and learn not only Standard French but any French dialect you find tempting.

The 9 Most Fascinating Things About Belgian French

Even though French is one language no matter in which part of the world it is spoken, there are still some nuances between different varieties of French.

There are many differences between standard French and Belgian French.

In the following lines, we will show you some of the most fascinating ones.

Belgian French Accent

As we’ve already mentioned initially, the Belgian accent is somewhat different from the standard one.

The difference is in the ‘R’ sound. 

While you might find the famous French ‘R’ challenging when you try to say French tongue twisters, you can relax now because Belgians don’t pronounce it the same way. They pronounce it a little stronger.

It’s the same as pronouncing the ‘R’ sound in American and British English.

Like Americans pronounce it a little stronger than British, the same is with Belgian and Standard French.

Counting in Belgian French

Even though numbers are quite simple in every language, it isn’t the case with French.

In French, seventy is ‘soixante-deux’ ( sixty and ten), seventy-one is ‘soixante-onze’ (sixty and eleven), while eighty is ‘quatre-vingts’ (four times twenty), and ninety is ‘quatre-vingt-dix’ (four times twenty and ten).

If you suck at math, well, let’s hope you won’t need these numbers in French.

But, Belgian French got this simplified.

There is no addition or multiplication. Therefore, in Belgian French, numbers after sixty are:

• Septante - seventy

• Octante - eighty

• Nonante - ninety.

Quite simple and logical, too, don’t you think?

Verb Meanings: Savoir Vs. Pouvoir

Every French learner knows that the verb ‘savoir’ means ‘to know’ and ‘pouvoir’ is ‘to be able to.’

Well, in Standard French, yes, but in Belgian, it isn’t exactly like that.

In Belgian, the verb ‘savoir’ is used instead of ‘pouvoir.’

If you are in Belgium and want to express something you can or can’t do, use ‘savoir.’

Let’s take a look at the example. When you say ‘je ne sais pas le faire,’ it literally means ‘I do not know how to do it,’ but you use it to express that something isn’t possible. If we say ‘je ne peux pas le faire,’ then the meaning is the same, only the phrase in Belgium would be a little awkward. 

Meals in Belgian French

Like any other French dialect, in Belgian French, meals are called differently. 

When you get hungry in Belgium, beware!

Lunch in Belgian French is ‘le dȋner’ unlike Standard French ‘le déjeuner.’

And don’t be confused with dinner! In Belgian French, the word for dinner is ‘le souper’ while in Standard French, it is ‘le dȋner.’ 

The Most Famous Belgian Filler Word

Do you know what filler words are?

Those are mainly meaningless words used to fill pauses in the sentences.

Every language has many useless but cute filler words.

In English, they are ‘like,’ ‘uhm,’ or ‘just.’

Standard French uses ‘ben,’ ‘euh,’ and ‘du coup.’

Belgian use these pretty rarely. That’s because they have their own famous Belgian French filler word.

It’s ‘une fois.’ It can be translated as ‘one time.’

At first, it seems a little strange, but once you get used to it, you’ll use it in almost every sentence.

Besides, it’s catchy, isn’t it?

Asking For a Towel

Do you know how we say ‘towel’ in French?

Yes, we know it’s easy. It’s ‘serviette.’

However, when you ask for a ‘serviette’ in Belgium, do you know what you will get?

A napkin.

In case you need a towel, in Belgian French, it’s ‘essuie.’

You should remember this one because you won’t be able to dry anything off with a napkin.

Phrase Differences Between Belgian And Standard French

Vocabulary is always unique.

If you visit Belgium, you should memorize these phrases not to confuse the locals or yourself.

Don’t worry, though. Most common French expressions can be used in Belgium, too.

Singular Or Plural?

Some words and phrases in Standard dialect are used in the plural, while in Belgian, they are used as a singular.

This is the case with the word ‘toilette.’

In Standard French, it is used in the plural, as ‘aux toilettes,’ while in Belgian, it’s singular, ‘la toilette.’ 

So, when you want to say ‘use the restroom,’ in Belgian, you say ‘aller à la toilette.’

French Fries Are Belgian

This post not only serves to understand Belgian French but it's great for myth busters as well.

One of the things the whole world doesn’t know is that fries originally come from Belgium.

You’ll understand better when you visit Belgium and see that on every corner you can find ‘les frittes.’ 

So, why are they called ‘french fries?’ There is an explanation that American soldiers discovered them in Belgium during World War II, where French was spoken, so they called them ‘french fries.’ Belgian fries sound cool. We should consider using this phrase, too.

Final Thoughts

These fun facts are enough for your first ‘lesson’ of Belgian French. 

Don’t feel confused or afraid if you use some typical Standard French phrase or word.

Belgians are mainly bilinguals. They are used to other accents and foreigners, so even if you make a mistake, they’ll understand you. 

And more importantly, they won’t judge you.

Instead, learn something about their fascinating culture. Practice the language. And above all, don’t miss the chance to visit this enchanting country!

If you want to know more about other varieties of French, read the post about Canadian French.

It can help you find your favorite French dialect and practice with French tutors. 

Bon courage!