Learn French in Brussels
Brussels is officially bilingual, yet French is the language most residents share, from the commune office to the café terrace. If you work around the EU institutions or have just moved into a Brussels kot or flat, French will make daily life far easier.
French in Brussels
The Brussels-Capital Region has two official languages, French and Dutch, so street signs, public services and commune paperwork come in both. In everyday life French dominates. The fifth BRIO Language Barometer (2024), run by researchers at the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, found that about 81% of residents speak French well, against 47% for English and 22% for Dutch. That share has fallen as the city has grown more international: the region had roughly 1.25 million inhabitants on 1 January 2024, and BRIO now counts more than 100 home languages. Even so, French remains the common ground between Belgians, newcomers and the many nationalities who live here.
Why people in Brussels learn French
English gets you through meetings at the European Commission or a NATO-linked consultancy, but French is what you need at the commune when you register your address, with your landlord, at the doctor's and at your children's school. Many job adverts in Brussels ask for French, and often Dutch too, so a solid French level widens your options well beyond the EU bubble. It also helps you follow local news, read your rental contract and join neighbourhood life in Ixelles, Schaerbeek or Saint-Gilles. And because Brussels is an hour or two by train from Paris, Lille and Liège, the same French serves you on weekends away.
The French you'll hear
Brussels French is close to the French of France, with a few Belgian habits you will notice quickly. Numbers use septante (70) and nonante (90) instead of soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix, while 80 stays quatre-vingts. Meals follow the older pattern: le déjeuner is breakfast, le dîner is lunch and le souper is the evening meal. Students live in un kot, and a sudden downpour is une drache. You will also hear Dutch words mixed into conversation, a reminder that the city is officially bilingual.
- On se voit pour le dîner à midi ?Shall we meet for lunch at noon?
- Ça fait septante euros, s'il vous plaît.That comes to seventy euros, please.
- Je cherche un kot près de l'université.I'm looking for a student room near the university.
- Je dois m'inscrire à la commune.I need to register at the town hall.
- Il drache depuis ce matin.It's been pouring since this morning.
French exams in Brussels
The Alliance française Bruxelles-Europe is an accredited exam centre and the largest in Belgium. It runs the DELF and DALF for adults, the TCF in several versions (including TCF Canada and the TCF for French residence and nationality), TEF Canada and the Diplôme de français professionnel. That makes Brussels a practical base whether you need a lifelong diploma for your CV, a test for Canadian immigration or proof of level for France. Check the centre's own pages for current sessions.
Check dates and fees with the exam centre directly; they change every session.
Where to start in the course
French Ultimate is an online course, so you can follow it from Brussels or anywhere else. These topics are the most useful here:
Questions about learning French in Brussels
Do I need French or Dutch to live in Brussels?
Both are official, but most residents use French day to day, so it is usually the more useful first choice for expats. Dutch helps for some public sector and Flemish jobs. French Ultimate is an online course and teaches French only, so many Brussels learners pair it with a local Dutch class if their work requires both.
Will I learn Belgian French or Paris French?
French Ultimate teaches standard international French, which every Brussels speaker understands and which is what the DELF and DALF test. Belgian features such as septante and nonante are easy to add on top, and our unit on French around the world covers the main differences between Belgian, Swiss, Québec and African French.
Is there a French Ultimate school in Brussels?
No. French Ultimate is fully online, with video lessons, speaking practice and graded stories you can use from home or on the metro. If you want an official diploma, you can sit the DELF or DALF at an accredited centre in Brussels such as the Alliance française Bruxelles-Europe, using our mock exams to prepare.
Learn French from Brussels, at your own pace
Animated video lessons that stop for your answers, speaking practice, graded stories and DELF/DALF mock exams, from A1 to C2. Start with the free placement test to see where you are.
Take the placement test