Learning Dutch in Brussels: where to start and how to practise

Learning Dutch in Brussels: why it helps in a bilingual city, the Huis van het Nederlands, the welcome pathway, the A2 test for nationality — and how to practise when everyone switches to French or English.

Updated November 3, 2026 · 2 min read

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Brussels is officially bilingual — French and Dutch — and Dutch opens doors there: jobs that ask for both languages, Dutch-speaking schools, and the Flemish institutions in the city (Belgium.be).

Where to start

• Huis van het Nederlands Brussel — one of the Flemish agency’s test centres for the A2 Dutch test for nationality (integratie-inburgering.be), and a place to ask about Dutch courses.
• The welcome pathway — in Brussels it runs in French or Dutch (City of Brussels).
• Nationality — A2 in one national language; Dutch is one choice — see the languages of Belgium and Belgian nationality and the Dutch test.

Practising when people switch

In Brussels people often switch to French or English when they hear an accent. Ask them to stay in Dutch — kindly:

A weekly rhythm

1. A course or a weekly lesson — on Edluxio you can find teachers and professionals in many fields, with a trial lesson and full refund.
2. Daily vocabulary with an app — 16Word teaches Dutch from French and 35 other languages.
3. Dutch radio or TV for ten minutes a day.
4. One conversation a week in Dutch: a colleague, a neighbour, a language café.

Standard Dutch is what you need — see Dutch vs Flemish. Grammar: the grammar hub.

Keep learning

• Dutch vs Flemish
• The languages of Belgium
• Belgian nationality and the Dutch test
• Working for the Belgian government
• Verb tables: zijn, hebben, gaan, komen, kunnen, moeten, willen, zullen, worden, wonen, werken, lezen, schrijven, luisteren, begrijpen, zeggen, vragen, maken, doen, geven, nemen, zien, kijken, denken, vinden, weten, kennen

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• Dutch vs Flemish · Flemish expressions · The languages of Belgium