About Belgium

Linguistic Matters

Culturally speaking, Belgium is divided in two different cultures: through Belgium runs the frontier where Germanic and Latin cultures meet in Europe. People speak Dutch in Flanders, the northern part of Belgium, with a population of six million inhabitants, whereas French is the language spoken in Wallonia, the part south of the Germanic Latin frontier. In a small area in the east of Belgium, which borders Germany, German is the official language. Brussels , the capital of Belgium, is the actual junction where the Germanic and Latin language regions merge. Both Dutch and French are spoken in Brussels, and have equal status at administrative levels.

Some useful words…..

Bakery	is known as	Bakker
Hairdresser		Kapper/Kapsalon
Bookstore		Boekhandel
Butcher		Slager/Beenhouwerij
Dairy		Zuivel
Fish shop		Viswinkel
Grocery store		Kruidenier/Algemene voeding
Florist		Bloemenwinkel/Bloemist
Pharmacy/Chemist		Apotheker/Drogist
Newsagent		Krantenwinkel/Kiosk