Heading to Ghent or Leuven on Erasmus and worried about “Flemish”? Good news on two fronts: your degree is almost certainly in English, and Flemish is simply Dutch with a softer accent. A little survival Flemish still transforms daily life. Here is what an exchange student actually needs.
You will study in English
Flemish universities are deeply international. KU Leuven offers more than 80 fully English-taught master’s programmes, and exchange students enrol while staying registered at their home university, free of charge through Erasmus+. As guides to KU Leuven for international applicants note, academic life and student services run comfortably in English. So your coursework does not require Dutch.
But daily life rewards a little Flemish
Outside the lecture hall, shops, housing, paperwork, and friendships go better with some Flemish. Flanders is English-friendly, but less uniformly than the Netherlands, and locals warm fast to anyone who tries. The key reassurance: Flemish is Dutch.
| Difference | Netherlands | Flanders |
|---|---|---|
| The G | Harsh, guttural | Soft, gentler |
| Mobile phone | mobiel | gsm |
| Pavement | stoep | voetpad |
| Tasty / nice | lekker | lekker (also plezant = fun) |
| Informal speech | spreektaal | tussentaal |
Your standard-Dutch learning transfers directly, as we explain in the best apps for Flemish. The Belgian admin differs from the Dutch, covered in which office you need in Flemish Flanders.
Use the free survival courses
Most Flemish universities run survival-Dutch courses for incoming exchange students with zero prior Dutch, focusing on everyday and academic essentials. Sign up through your host university’s language centre on arrival; they are designed exactly for a one-semester stay. Pair that with a daily app for vocabulary, and you will cover ordering, shopping, and small talk within weeks.
The admin is Belgian, not Dutch
One thing that genuinely differs from a Netherlands exchange: the paperwork. As an Erasmus student in Flanders you register with the local gemeente (or stad) and deal with Belgian, not Dutch, systems, residence registration, a possible verblijfsdocument, and university enrolment. The vocabulary is the same Dutch, but the institutions and rules are Belgian, so follow your host university’s international office rather than guides written for the Netherlands. A few Flemish phrases smooth these counters just as they do the shops.
Make local friends, not just an Erasmus bubble
The classic Erasmus trap is living entirely in an international bubble and leaving without a word of the local language. A few phrases break that, and student life is where it pays off, the same lesson as joining a studentenvereniging and whether you need Dutch and the broader point that you can pass without Dutch but miss out on student life. For the contrast with a Dutch university city, see living in Delft as an engineer.
The bottom line
Your Erasmus in Ghent or Leuven runs in English, so relax about the academics. But take the free survival-Flemish course, learn the soft G and a few local words (gsm, voetpad), and use them: it is the difference between an Erasmus spent in an international bubble and one where you actually know the city you lived in.
Learn it in five minutes a day
Learn Dutch For Expats is an app, available on the App Store, whose situation-first lessons teach the standard Dutch shared across the border, giving you a usable base for Ghent or Leuven, onto which you layer the soft G and Flemish words from daily life, in five-minute sessions.
Frequently asked questions
Do Erasmus students need to speak Dutch in Ghent or Leuven?
Not for your studies: KU Leuven and Ghent University run many English-taught master’s programmes, and student cities are very English-friendly. But a little Flemish (Belgian Dutch) helps enormously with shops, housing, admin, and making local friends. Universities often offer free survival-Dutch courses for exchange students precisely for this.
Is the Dutch in Flanders different from the Netherlands?
It is the same language with a Flemish accent and some local words. Written and formal Dutch is shared, but Flanders uses a soft G (gentler than the harsh Dutch G), some different vocabulary (gsm for mobile, voetpad for pavement), and informal tussentaal. Your standard-Dutch learning transfers directly to Flanders.
Are there survival Flemish courses for exchange students?
Yes. Flemish universities like KU Leuven offer survival-language courses for incoming exchange students with no prior Dutch, focusing on everyday and academic essentials, verbs, common phrases, and vocabulary. Check your host university’s language centre on arrival; these courses are often free or low-cost for exchange students.
What is the best app to learn Flemish for an exchange in Belgium?
Learn Dutch For Expats, an app available on the App Store, works well for an exchange in Flanders because the standard Dutch it teaches by real situation transfers straight across the border; you then pick up the soft G and local words from daily life, building a usable base in five-minute lessons.
