Visiting Belgium? Need some useful Flemish travel phrases? This guide explains the difference between Dutch and Flemish and teaches you easy Flemish phrases and their correct pronunciation to help you with your travels.
Did you know that Belgium has three official languages? Flemish-Dutch, French and German! Depending on where you’re headed, you’re going to find my French, German and now this Flemish travel phrase guide, super useful.
To help me create this new addition to my growing collection of free travel phrase guides, I asked my friend and native Flemish speaker Els from Under the Trees to provide accurate Flemish translations and pronunciation tips.
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Let’s take a closer look at the Flemish Dutch language. Here’s what we’ll cover:
Table of Contents
- Where is Flemish Spoken?
- How many people speak Flemish?
- What is the difference between Dutch and Flemish?
- Why is the Dutch Spoken in Belgium Different from in the Netherlands?
- Flemish Dutch Pronunciation
- Flemish Dutch Alphabet
- Flemish Travel Phrases
- Flemish Phrases [Infographic}
- 10 Hilarious Standard Dutch Expressions
Where is Flemish spoken?
Flemish, Flemish Dutch, or Belgian Dutch are terms used to refer to a dialect of the Dutch language that is spoken in the northern provinces of Belgium known as Flanders. These regions include West Flanders, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant, Antwerp, and Limburg, and historically of Brussels. Flemish is also spoken in French Flanders located in France and in the Dutch Zeelandic Flanders located in the Netherlands.
Just to make things more confusing, locals often colloquially refer to their language as Vlaams (“Flemish”). But just remember that the official language in Flanders is standard Dutch. But, we’ll do as the Belgium Dutch do and refer to it here as Flemish.
In both Belgium and the Netherlands, the native official name for Dutch is Nederlands.
I wrote a separate post on this topic of what language is spoken in Belgium after my first trip there.
How many people speak Flemish?
The Flemish language is spoken by approximately 6.5 million people in Belgium which is about 56% of Belgium’s population. There are also several thousand Flemish speakers in France.
What is the difference between Dutch and Flemish?
Dutch and Flemish differ in terms of intonation and pronunciation and in some parts, vocabulary. Flemish has many loanwords from French and English that are not found in Standard Dutch.
The Dutch and Flemish also have typical words and expressions inherent to their region’s habits, traditions, that aren’t found elsewhere. Most of these differences involve constitutions, typical habits, and traditional meals.
Let’s take a look at some examples of the difference in their vocabulary.
Different words mean the same thing
For breakfast, Belgians eat ‘confituur’ on their sandwich, Dutch people eat ‘jam’ referring to, well just jam. While in Belgium, if you are eating a ‘croque monsieur’ as a snack, in the Netherlands it’s called a ‘toastie’.
Belgians put their fresh food in the ‘frigo’ (fridge) while the Dutch will scratch their heads if they hear the word. Instead, their food is kept cool in the ‘koelkast’.
In Belgium, when dusk almost falls, it’s ‘valavond’ (falling of the evening) while in the Netherlands it’s ‘vooravond’ (early evening).
Most differences, however, don’t usally cause a breakdown in communication they just raise a few eyebrows with confusion.
Some words DO mean something different
In Belgium, you are ‘lopen’ (running) as a way of walking but also doing the more physical ‘running’. In the Netherlands, you are just walking.
If you eat ‘s middags (at noon) in Belgium you eat more or less around 12 o’clock but in the Netherlands, this refers to the period from noon to the evening! So, be careful when making a date in Dutch, or you could make someone wait for hours ?
The Dutch and Flemish have a sense of humour
Belgians often use Dutch words that don’t necessarily mean anything whilst visiting the Netherlands, this usually causes a ‘what the hell are they talking about?’ look. Yes, it is Dutch, but it’s Belgian Dutch or Flemish.
The same goes for Dutchmen in using typical Dutch words in Belgium which are foreign to the Flemish language. In the Netherlands ‘pinnen’ describes the action of paying by credit card or withdrawing money, while in Belgium it is just paying by credit card or withdrawing money.
Why is the Dutch Spoken in Belgium different from in the Netherlands?
The differences found in Dutch and Flemish have their roots right back in history. A hundred years ago, Belgians spoke Dutch that was influenced by both dialects and French; its neighbour.
By the 21st century, the language was more levelled with the Dutch language in the Netherlands as a statement towards the French influence. By the 1950-60’s the purification of the language was intensified by eliminating many Flemish words aiming for a pure Dutch language.
During the last decade, a more typical Belgian Dutch is being promoted by a group of linguists, who embrace the geographical uniqueness of its own language. Flemish is not so much ‘a’ language but a collection of different dialects, some dialects require a dictionary of their own.
Flemish Dutch Pronunciation
While the vocabulary and grammar of the Dutch language spoken in The Netherlands and in the Flemish part of Belgium are almost identical, the pronunciation, however, is another ball game.
A Dutchman won’t go unnoticed in a group of Belgians. Flemish, or Belgian Dutch, has a soft pronunciation while the Dutch spoken in the Netherlands has a prominent pronunciation of ‘u’ and ‘ij’.
The pronunciation of the letter ‘g’ differs a lot between Flemish and Dutch. The Dutch ‘g’ can sometimes sound a bit like someone clearing the throat. The actual border of the soft and hard ‘g’ lies between the Rhine and the Waal.
Flemish Dutch Alphabet
Below is the Flemish alphabet and pronunciation guide.
| a (aa) | j (jot) | s (es) |
| b (bee) | k (kaa) | t (tee) |
| c (see) | l (el) | u (uu) |
| d (dee) | m (em) | v (vau) |
| e (ee) | n (en) | w (wee) |
| f (ef) | o (oo) | x (ex) |
| g (gee) either soft or gutteral | p (pee) | y (y) like English “ay” |
| h (haa) | q (kuu) | z (set) |
| i (ie) | r (er) |
P.S. If you’re reading this on your phone and can’t see the pronunciation column, turn it to landscape mode. For some reason, tables aren’t mobile friendly. Sorry!
Flemish Phrases & Useful Travel Phrases
Want the infographic to take with you? Scroll to the bottom of the page.
I hope you enjoyed this Flemish Dutch travel phrase guide as much as I enjoyed bringing it together. If you have any requests for other languages, let me know in the comments section! In the meantime, check out the rest of my collection of free travel phrase guides.
Flemish Dutch Travel Guide Infographic
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Hilarious Dutch Expressions
Visiting Belgium? Check out my Belgium city guides
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- Ghent Day Trip Itinerary: Top 10 Things to See in Ghent in One Day
- Belgium’s Cutest City: 10 Wonderful Things to Do in Bruges
Want to know more about learning languages? Start here!
- Language learning tips: 11 Polyglots Reveal The Secrets of Their Success
- Top Language Learning Resources You Should Use
- 11 Life-Changing Reasons Why You Should Learn a Language
- 42 beautiful Inspirational Quotes for Language Learners
- Top 10 Best Ways to Learn a Language Better and Faster
Over to you!
Which of these Flemish phrases did you find the most useful? Are you planning a trip to Belgium or have already been? Let me know using the comments section below or join me on social media to start a conversation.
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