Luxembourgish vs Dutch: how close are they?

Luxembourgish and Dutch are cousins: both West Germanic, both with the verb in second place, both building the past with 'have' and 'be'. A Dutch speaker reading Luxembourgish recognises a lot — and still doesn't understand a conversation at the bakery. Where they match, where they part, and what that means if you know one and learn the other.

Updated · 4 min read

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The Dom Tower of Utrecht seen from the Oudegracht canal
Photo: Michielverbeek, CC BY-SA 4.0, resized.

In short: related, not mutually intelligible. Dutch is a Low Franconian language; Luxembourgish grew out of Moselle Franconian, a West Central German group (luxembourg.public.lu), and borrowed heavily from French. Grammar is the easy part for a Dutch speaker; vocabulary and sounds are where it gets hard.

Words side by side

LuxembourgishDutchEnglish
ech · mirik · wijI · we
hunnhebbento have
sinnzijnto be
goengaanto go
kommenkomento come
ginngevento give
schwätzenspreken / pratento speak, talk
verstoenbegrijpento understand
schaffenwerkento work
Haus · Kand · Brout · Waasserhuis · kind · brood · waterhouse · child · bread · water
Kichenkeukenkitchen
Gromperaardappelpotato
Vëlofietsbike
Merci · Äddidank je · doeithanks · bye
net · keenniet · geennot · no

Haus

Literally: house

Meaning: Dutch *huis*. More in home and household.

Kichen

Literally: kitchen

Meaning: Dutch *keuken*.

Gromper

Literally: potato

Meaning: Dutch *aardappel*, German *Kartoffel* — Luxembourgish has its own word. See vegetables.

Grammar that works the same way

  • Verb second: *Haut ginn ech an d'Stad* — Dutch *Vandaag ga ik naar de stad*. See Luxembourgish word order.
  • Verb at the end after 'that' and 'because': *…, datt dir esou séier konnt kommen* — Dutch *…, dat jullie zo snel konden komen*.
  • The perfect with 'have' or 'be': *ech hunn … gemaach* / *ik heb … gemaakt*; *ech sinn … gaangen* / *ik ben … gegaan*. See the past tense.
  • Separable verbs: Luxembourgish uruffen — *ech ruffen dech un* (I'll call you); Dutch bellen has *opbellen* — *ik bel je op*.
  • Modal verbs: kënnen, wëllen, mussen work like Dutch *kunnen, willen, moeten*.

Ech si frou, datt dir esou séier konnt kommen.

Literally: I'm glad you could come so quickly.

Meaning: Dutch: *Ik ben blij dat jullie zo snel konden komen.* Same order, verbs at the end.

Where they part

  • French everywhere. Luxembourgish uses *Merci, Vëlo, Kaddo, Trottoir, Portmonni, Rendez-vous* where Dutch has Germanic words. If you speak French, that's a gift — see Luxembourgish for French speakers.
  • Sounds. Luxembourgish has the vowels *ë, éi, ou* and a soft *ch*; Dutch has its guttural *g*. Our pronunciation guide plays the Luxembourgish ones.
  • The n-rule. Spoken Dutch often drops the *n* of *-en* endings, but writes it; Luxembourgish drops a final *n* before most consonants and writes what it says: *gudde Moien*, *gudden Owend* — the n-rule.
  • Articles. Dutch has *de* and *het*; Luxembourgish has *de* (masculine), *d'* (feminine and plural) and *dat* (neuter), and capitalises every noun — see Luxembourgish spelling.
  • Polite 'you'. Luxembourgish *Dir* takes the plural verb (*Dir sidd*); Dutch *u* takes the singular (*u bent*) — see Luxembourgish pronouns.

Eist Land huet Grenze mat dräi anere Länner.

Literally: Our country borders three other countries.

Meaning: Belgium, France and Germany — not the Netherlands, which is one reason the two languages drifted apart.

If you speak Dutch and learn Luxembourgish

Lean on the grammar you already have and spend your time on vocabulary — especially French loanwords — and on listening. Start with the common words and everyday nouns, the 100 everyday verbs, and daily phrases like hello and thank you. The LOD dictionary even has Dutch among its target languages (luxembourg.public.lu).

If you speak Luxembourgish and learn Dutch

You will read Dutch quickly. Work on the *g*, the vowels and the many words that differ. Our Dutch verb tables cover the 150 commonest verbs, and if you are moving to the Netherlands, the inburgering exam guide explains the integration exam; for jobs, see Dutch for government jobs and Belgium's language rules.

Learn both with the same app

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

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Questions about Luxembourgish and Dutch

Is Luxembourgish similar to Dutch?

In grammar, yes: verb second, verb at the end in subordinate clauses, the perfect with 'have' and 'be', separable verbs. In vocabulary and sound much less — Luxembourgish has many French loanwords and different vowels.

Can Dutch speakers understand Luxembourgish?

They recognise many written words and the sentence structure, but spoken Luxembourgish is hard to follow without practice.

Is Luxembourgish closer to German or to Dutch?

To German. Luxembourgish grew out of Moselle Franconian, a West Central German dialect group; Dutch is Low Franconian.

Is it easier to learn Luxembourgish if you speak Dutch?

Yes — word order, the perfect tense and many core words carry over. Focus your effort on vocabulary, French loanwords and listening.

Official sources

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