Selected Travel Guide:		More Brussels Travel Guides:			Adjust Font Size:

Location
Brussels region, Belgium.

Dialling code
32.

Population
141,000 (city); 1,975,000 (metropolitan area).

Time zone
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
220 volts AC, 50Hz; European two-pin round plugs are standard.

Average January temperatures
3°C (37.5°F).

Average July temperatures
17.5°C (63.5°F).

Annual rainfall
850mm (33 inches).

Language
Introduction
Brussels has two official languages: French and Flemish. All street names are bilingual: owing to space restrictions in this guide, only the French appears in the main body of the text. However, the region is largely (about 90%) French-speaking, a trend increasing as the grip of the EU tightens. Commuters increase the percentage of Flemish speakers during the day, but in the evening, the city settles down to speak French.

French is spoken with a distinctive accent and vocabulary, enriched with a peppering of English and Flemish words. The Flemish spoken differs from Dutch largely in terms of pronunciation. The Bruxellois dialect Bruesselse Sproek or Marollien is a rich medley of Flemish and French, some Spanish and even Hebrew. Hence ‘toffe’ from the Hebrew ‘tov’ means good.

Certain colloquial phrases are baffling to all but locals – ‘non peut-être’ (literally translated as ‘no maybe’) actually means ‘yes, definitely’ and ‘Ça, t’as vu!’ (literally translated as ‘did you see that!’) means ‘no, not at all!’

English is increasingly becoming the accepted language for business, not only because of multinationals or the presence of ex-pats, but simply because it is a neutral language. Some signposts even appear in Latin.

Phrases

French is given first with Flemish in brackets

Yes - Oui (Ja)
No - Non (Neen)
Hello - Bonjour (Dag)
Goodbye - Au revoir (Tot ziens)
Please - S’il vous plaît (alstublief)
Thank you - Merci (Dank U)
My name is … - Je m’appelle … (Mijn naam is …)
How are you? - Comment ça va? (Hoe gaat het?)
I’m very well - Ça va bien (Het gaat goed)
I feel ill - Je ne me sens pas bien (Ik voel me niet well)
How much does it cost? - Combien est-ce que ça coûte?
(Hoeveel kost het?)
Do you speak English - Est-ce que vous parlez anglais? (Spreekt u engels?)
I don’t understand - Je ne comprends pas (Ik verstaat niet)
Where is …? - Où est …? (Waar is …?)
Entrance - Entrée (Ingang)
Exit - Sortie (Uitgang)
Danger - Danger (Gevaar)
Open - Ouvert (Open)
Closed - Fermé (Gesloten)
Toilets - Toilettes (Toiletten)
Doctor - Docteur (Docteur)
Hotel - Hôtel (Hotel)
Restaurant - Restaurant (Restaurant)
Beer - Bière (Bier)
Wine - Vin (Wijn)
Menu - Menu (Menu)
Today - Aujourd’hui (Vandaag)
Tomorrow - Demain (Morgen)
Monday - Lundi (Maandag)
Tuesday - Mardi (Dinsdag)
Wednesday - Mercredi (Woensdag)
Thursday - Jeudi (Donderdag)
Friday - Vendredi (Vrijdag)
Saturday - Samedi (Zaterdag)
Sunday - Dimanche (Zondag)
One - Un / Une (Een)
Two - Deux (Twee)
Three - Trois (Drie)
Four - Quatre (Vier)
Five - Cinq (Vijf)
Six - Six (Zes)
Seven - Sept (Zeven)
Eight - Huit (Acht)
Nine - Neuf (Negen)
Ten - Dix (Tien)
Twenty - Vingt (Twintig)
Thirty - Trente (Dertig)
Forty - Quarante (Viertig)
Fifty - Cinquante (Viftig)
Sixty - Soixante (Zestig)
Seventy - Soixante-dix (Zeventig)
Eighty - Quatre-vingt (Tachtig)
Ninety - Nonante (Negentig)
One Hundred - Cent (Honderd)
One Thousand - Mille (Duizend)



Cost of Living:

1 Euro (€1) = £0.94; US$1.37; C$1.66; A$1.93
Currency conversion rates as of January 2009

Special Events:

Antique Dealers’ Fair
Late January
Avenue du Port
Website: www.antiques-fair.be  

Dance Festival
Late February
La Monnaie
Website: www.lamonnaie.be  

Ars Musica
April
Contemporary music festival.
Various venues
Website: www.arsmusica.be  

Art Brussels
April
Contemporary arts event.
Website: www.artbrussels.be  

Zinneke Parade
Late May
Cultural festival.
Grand-Place

Brussels Gay Pride
Early May
Various venues

Brussels Jazz Marathon
Late May
Grand-Place and various venues
Website: www.brusselsjazzmarathon.be  

Kunstenfestivaldesarts
May
Dance, theater and opera festival.
Various venues
Website: www.kfda.be

Couleur Café
Late June
World music concerts.
Thurn et Taxis Building
Website: www.couleurcafe.be  

European Film Festival
Late June-early July
Flagey
Website: www.fffb.be  

Ommegang
Early July
Procession, Grand-Place & Place du Sablon
Website: www.ommegang.be

Klinkende Munt
Early July
Dance and outdoor music festival.
Place de la Monnaie
Website: www.beursschouwburg.be

Meyboom
August
Traditional pageant with maypole dancing.
Place des Sablons to Grand-Place

Flower Carpet
August
Thousands of begonias are laid out in gorgeous designs.
Grand-Place
Website: www.flowercarpet.be

Brussels Marathon
Late August
Parc du Cinquantenaire to Grand-Place
Website: www.ingbrusselsmarathon.be  

Beer Weekend
Early September
Celebration of Belgian beer.
Grand-Place
Website: www.weekenddelabiere.be  

Christmas Market
December
Grand-Place

Open-air Ice Skating
December-January
Marché aux Poissons

Related Brussels Content

Related Belgium Content

Belgium Airport Guides: Brussels Brussels Midi	Belgium City Guides: Antwerp City Guide Bruges City Guide Brussels City Guide
Belgium Attraction Guides:
Atomium Cathedral of Our Lady (Onze Lieve Vrouwe-Kathedraal) Central Square (Grand Place)	Flanders Fields Statue of the Pissing Boy (Manneken-Pis)