Getting around
Métro
Prochaine station.
Next station.
You hear this when the doors close or the next stop is called. It is written down too, so a missed word does not end the ride.
Brussels
Belgium
Brussels is a capital of guildhall squares, comic murals, and two official languages side by side.
How the language is used
French and Dutch are both official. Street plates carry both, and French is the one heard more often in many neighbourhoods.
In this city
- Language
- French
- Also heard
- Mostly French
- A local word
- Gaufre — A waffle, please.
- Writing
- the Latin alphabet
What people say
Ordinary lines from this city: the ride, the counter, the food, and the greeting.
Food
Gaufre
Une gaufre, s'il vous plaît.
A waffle, please.
The order is built in short pieces like this one.
The counter
Commerce
Bonjour.
Good morning.
This line is a whole order. You do not need a longer sentence.
The street
Rue
Goedemorgen.
Good morning.
People keep this line short. It is enough for the moment.
The language through the day
French and Dutch are both official. You see both on signs, and you hear both in the street.
Around Ixelles, Saint-Gilles, Marolles, this is the ordinary sound of the day.
A first day in Brussels can run on four lines: “Prochaine station.”, “Une gaufre, s'il vous plaît.”, “Bonjour.”, and “Goedemorgen.”. Each one is already a complete moment.
If you are new here
- Stops, prices, and shop signs are written in the Latin alphabet.
- Shops and offices often stay with vous. Tu is for people you know.
- If a spoken line goes past you, read the screen or the board. In Brussels, the stop and the price are written down.
One local word: Gaufre. It means A waffle, please..
Places you can see
- Grand-Place — The main square of guild houses and the city hall tower.
- Atomium — A giant iron-crystal model from the 1958 fair, still standing in the north of the city.
- Sablon — A quarter of chocolate shops and antique dealers around the church square.
Food
Waffles, mussel-and-fries plates, and chocolate shops. Menus often print French and Dutch.
Getting around
Metro station names appear in French and in Dutch on the same signs.
Daily life
You meet French and Dutch on the same door. A Dutch line sits beside the French one.
A few everyday phrases
French
| Phrase | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Bonjour | Hello |
| Merci | Thank you |
| Bonjour | Good morning |
| Je m'appelle… | My name is… |
