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Belgian French (French: français de Belgique) is the variety of French spoken mainly among the French Community of Belgium, alongside related Oïl languages of the region such as Walloon, Picard, Champenois, and Lorrain (Gaumais). The French language spoken in Belgium differs very little from that of France or Switzerland.
Belgian French differs from Standard French in terms of pronunciation and vocabulary, but the two are mutually intelligible. There’s also a smaller German-speaking community in the east, where Belgium shares a border with Germany.
Belgian French is in most respects identical to the French of France, but differs in some points of vocabulary, pronunciation, and semantics. According to the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (2022), 76% of Belgians are French-speaking: https://www.francophonie.org/belgique-936.
While French is spoken by a majority of people in the southern region of Wallonia, and by a minority in the northern region of Flanders, according to the most recent census (in 2018), about 3.6 million people in Belgium speak French as their first language.
There are nearly 12 million people in Belgium, and 36 percent of them speak French, which is approximately 4.3 million people. If you’re in the southern part of Belgium, near France, you’ll find that nearly 89 percent of people will speak French as either their first or second language.
Belgium’s largest city, Brussels (Flemish: Brussel; French: Bruxelles), the capital of both the country and the administrative region of Flanders, has suburbs that spread into Walloon Brabant and Flemish Brabant.
Belgium’s three official languages are Dutch, French and German, with six regional and minority languages fast following their linguistic trail. With Belgium being so abundant in languages, you know there’s some fascinating history to explore.
As one of the three official languages spoken in Belgium, French is closely tied to the history of the country, as well as its social and geographical landscape. In spite of its accent and a few differences in vocabulary, it’s a close variant to standard French, with just a bit of extra flavor.
Second on the list of most-spoken languages in Belgium is French. The French-speaking community lives in the southern Wallonia region and in the capital, Brussels. They make up approximately 40 percent (4.5 million) of the population.
Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, German, and French. About 55% of people speak Dutch as their mother tongue and 16% speak it as a second language. French is spoken by about 36% of people as a mother tongue and half of Belgians as a second language. German is mostly spoken as a second language by about one-quarter of Belgians.