There are three official languages in Belgium: Dutch, French and German. Dutch is predominant, but Brussels is a bilingual region between Dutch and French. German is spoken in small outer regions. We recommend you look up the language(s) that are specific to the region you wish to travel to. You should fill out our Words To Know Sheet and take it with you for reference.

You may find it helpful to begin creating a list of words and meanings that are distinctly Belgian. Use our list as a guide, or starting point; then add your own additional Belgium-specific phrases. You may find that in making a conscious effort to learn the Belgian lingo, you will begin to understand other aspects of Belgian culture more clearly. In addition, you should also know how to dial a country's 24-hour emergency phone number (equivalent to a 9-1-1 system).

You may find it helpful to print and cut out our Service Icons Card that you can carry with you. The card contains a series of simple images that represent services you may require—services like a telephone, post-office, taxi, and hospital. If you don’t remember, or don’t know, how to say a certain word in the native language, you can point to the picture on the card that represents that word. For example, if you need to find a telephone, you can show someone the picture of a telephone on the card and they can assist you. It is better to already be able to comfortably communicate in one of the official languages when studying in Belgium. However, you should keep this card with you just in case you forget how to say a certain word, or, in the case of injury, you become physically unable to verbally communicate.