How do you greet someone in Belgium? (2023)

How can I be polite in Belgium?

A common polite greeting is enchanté in French or aangenaam in Dutch. It is also considered polite to address a person by name or title when arriving or leaving. Personal space should be about an arm's length.

It is considered impolite to snap your fingers. Do not put your hands in your pockets, yawn, scratch or use toothpicks in public. Feet should never be put on chairs or tables. Back slapping is considered offensive.

Flemish translation: goedemorgen/goedemiddag.

Our population originally is a mixture of French and Flemish speakers. The Flemish greet most of the time shaking hands. Always use your right hand and look the one you greet in the eyes. You can use words like “hallo”, “hoi”, “dag”.

The main Dutch dialects in Belgium are Brabantian and East Flemish. Standard Dutch, as spoken in Belgium, is mostly influenced by Brabantian. There are literary traditions in both the East Flemish and West Flemish dialects.

Flemish (Vlaams) is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (Vlaams-Nederlands), Belgian Dutch (Belgisch-Nederlands [ˈbɛlɣis ˈneːdərlɑnts] ( listen)), or Southern Dutch (Zuid-Nederlands).

The big draws are superb and affordable healthcare, high-quality education, and fantastic food and cultural scenes. Belgium is also easily accessible to expat English speakers. Belgian people are friendly and tolerant, and crime rates are low across the country.

Belgium ranks 6th out of 112 countries in the world for its English language proficiency. Around 55% of the Belgian population can speak English on a conversational level. Generally, the language barrier is way steeper in Wallonia than in Flanders, where almost half of the population can converse in basic English.

Avoid certain areas at night.

There are several areas in Brussels where it's not the best idea to walk on your own after the dark. Avoid Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Schaerbeek, Anderlecht, Marollen, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, and Anneessens at night.

What is a typical Belgian breakfast?

The breakfast in Belgium consists of breads, toasted or untoasted, with several marmalades, jams, and chocolate & nut spread or just with a bar of chocolate. Other common toppings include sliced meats and cheeses. Pastries and croissants may be served on Sundays, but are mostly not eaten on weekdays.

Belgische {de} woman (also: Belgian)

BBC - Languages - Languages. Official Languages: French, Dutch and German. Wallon, the local variant of French, is used by 33% of population. Flemish is used by more than 60% of the population, and is spoken in the northern part of the country.

Say nein to say no in German.

It is an official language of Austria, Belgium, Germany, Italy (South Tyrol), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Poland, Switzerland. You can say “no way” in German by saying, Auf keinen Fall.

Belgium uses the same word, although here there are different traditions depending on where you are. In Brussels, it's common to stand when saying “Santé!”, while in the Flemish regions such as Antwerp or Ghent, locals will raise the glass twice, saying “Santé!” during the toast, and then again at the end.

If you are in Wallonia, or Brussels, say “merci”. If you are in Flanders, say “dank U” or “dank je wel”. If you are in Eupen, say “danke schön”.

Belgians (Dutch: Belgen; French: Belges; German: Belgier) are people identified with the Kingdom of Belgium, a federal state in Western Europe.

The common greeting in the Netherlands is a handshake along with a nod of the head. This form of address is usually short. Among friends and family, it is common to greet one another by kissing on alternating cheeks three times. Take both your hands out of your pockets if you shake someone's hand.

British: In all, 57% of survey respondents said that those who speak with a British accent sound smarter, which is far more than any other accent—indeed, nearly twice as many as the second most-named choice. French: Among respondents, 29% said that those who speak with a French accent sound smarter.

What is Belgium famous for?

Belgium is world-famous for its chocolate, waffles, beer, and its national football team, the Red Devils. Belgium is also home to NATO headquarters and to the EU Commission and European Parliament.

In Belgium, the word for lunch is le dîner, not le déjeuner. This opens in a new window. But don't worry, the Belgians aren't skipping straight to dinner. Their word for dinner is le souper.

The language this community speaks, while largely identical to the Dutch spoken in the Netherlands, is called “Belgian-Dutch” by academics and “Flemish” by everyone else. Of course, there are differences between Flemish and Standard Dutch — particularly in pronunciation, vocabulary and idioms.

Dutch, the primary language of Belgium

The Flemish dialect is almost identical to the Dutch spoken across the border in the Netherlands, but some differences in vocabulary have led some to refer to the language colloquially as "Flemish".