Is Luxembourgish a language or a German dialect? History, law and the differences

Linguists trace Luxembourgish back to the Moselle Franconian dialects of the Rhineland, and German speakers can follow much of it. But in law and in daily life it is a language of its own — the national language since 1984 and, since 2023, named in the Constitution — with its own spelling, its own dictionary and hundreds of words German doesn't have.

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The Grund and the Church of Saint John (Église Saint-Jean) in Luxembourg City
Photo: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

In short: a language. The law of 24 February 1984 makes Luxembourgish *the national language of the Luxembourgers*, and since 1 July 2023 the Constitution says *the language of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg is Luxembourgish* (Legilux). Its roots are Moselle Franconian, a West Central German dialect group — which is why German speakers recognise so much of it.

Where Luxembourgish comes from

The government's portal describes Luxembourgish as belonging to the Moselle Franconian family, shaped over centuries by the languages around it (luxembourg.public.lu). Luxembourgish is also spoken around Arlon in Belgium, and can be heard where Luxembourgers once emigrated, such as the US Midwest.

D’Lëtzebuergescht gehéiert zu der indogermanescher Sproochefamill.

Literally: Luxembourgish belongs to the Indo-European language family.

Meaning: *Sprooch* — language; see the vocabulary for school and education.

What turns a dialect into a language is not its grammar but its use and its institutions: a written standard, a dictionary, a place in law, schools, media. Luxembourgish has all of them — official spelling rules, with spelling tools from the Zenter fir d'Lëtzebuerger Sprooch (ZLS), the Lëtzebuerger Online Dictionnaire (lod.lu), radio and television, and courses at every level from A1 to C1 at the INL.

Eist Land huet eng turbulent Geschicht.

Literally: Our country has a turbulent history.

What the law says

  • Law of 24 February 1984 on the language regime, article 1: the national language of the Luxembourgers is Luxembourgish. Laws are written in French (article 2); in administrative and judicial matters French, German or Luxembourgish may be used (article 3); and the administration answers, as far as possible, in the language you wrote in (article 4) (Legilux).
  • Constitution, article 4 (in force since 1 July 2023): the language of the Grand Duchy is Luxembourgish; the law regulates the use of Luxembourgish, French and German (Legilux).
  • Nationality: most people who apply for Luxembourg nationality must pass a test in spoken Luxembourgish, the Sproochentest — something no dialect would be asked of.

Luxembourgish vs German: the differences you will notice

German speakers understand a lot of Luxembourgish, especially in writing — and still trip over it. The biggest differences:

LuxembourgishGermanEnglish
MoienGuten Tag / Hallohello — hello in Luxembourgish
MerciDankethank you — thank you
ÄddiTschüssgoodbye — goodbye
wannechgeliftbitteplease — please
GromperKartoffelpotato
VëloFahrradbike
KaddoGeschenkpresent
PortmonniGeldbörsewallet
TrottoirBürgersteigpavement
ech, mirich, wirI, we — pronouns
schaffenarbeitento work — schaffen

Gromper

Literally: potato

Meaning: German *Kartoffel*. More food words in food and restaurant vocabulary.

Vëlo

Literally: bike

Meaning: From French *vélo*. See transport and directions.

Kaddo

Literally: present, gift

Meaning: From French *cadeau*.

  • Grammar: Luxembourgish talks about the past almost only with the perfect — *ech hunn … gemaach* — where German also uses the simple past. See the past tense.
  • The n-rule: a final *n* drops before most consonants (*gudde Moien*, *gudden Owend*) — German has no such rule. See the n-rule.
  • Sounds: the vowels *ë*, *éi*, *ou* and a softer *ch* — our pronunciation guide plays them.
  • Spelling: Luxembourgish is written as it is spoken, with its own rules — Luxembourgish spelling.

Et gëtt keng komplett Iwwersetzung vun der Bibel op Lëtzebuergesch.

Literally: There is no complete translation of the Bible into Luxembourgish.

How many people speak it?

In the 2021 census, 275,361 residents — 48.9% — named Luxembourgish as their main language, and 61.2% of those who answered said they usually speak it at home, at work or at school (STATEC). The number of speakers is still growing; their share falls because the population grows faster. More figures in what languages are spoken in Luxembourg.

Hear the difference for yourself

16Word teaches Luxembourgish with native recordings from the LOD dictionary — 16 words and sentences at a time, with a Blocks game between answers. Free to start.

Keep learning

Questions about Luxembourgish as a language

Is Luxembourgish a language or a dialect?

A language: the national language under the law of 24 February 1984 and the language of the Grand Duchy under article 4 of the Constitution in force since 1 July 2023. Historically it grew out of Moselle Franconian, a West Central German dialect group.

Can Germans understand Luxembourgish?

Partly — especially written Luxembourgish and slow speech. French loanwords, different everyday words (Gromper, Vëlo, Kaddo) and the n-rule make fast speech hard to follow without practice.

Is Luxembourgish an official language?

Yes. Luxembourgish is the national language; French, German and Luxembourgish may all be used in administrative and judicial matters, and laws are written in French.

How many people speak Luxembourgish?

In the 2021 census, 275,361 residents (48.9%) gave Luxembourgish as their main language, and 61.2% of those who answered said they usually speak it.

Official sources

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