Luxembourg is a small country in Western Europe, landlocked by Belgium, France, and Germany.
The capital city of this micronation is simply known as Luxembourg city.
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What's the native language of Luxembourg?
The people in Luxembourg, and therefore also in the capital, speak a language known as Luxembourgish.
Luxembourgish is closely related to the German language and, in fact, it was considered a German dialect until the 50s, when it created its own standard language form.
Yet, the natives in Luxembourg ALSO speak German and French as a second and third language.
This is due to the historical past of the country and its proximity to Germany and France, and of course, thanks to the relatively small size of Luxembourg.
In a nutshell, Luxembourgish is the national language in Luxembourg and natives mostly choose to speak this language with their family friends and neighbors.
Nonetheless, German and French are also spoken by the same people and the large immigrant or cross-border working force.
All three languages, Luxembourgish, German and French, are used as an administrative language and count as official languages of Luxembourg.
All the signboards, tickets, and general information are usually displayed in two of these languages.
It's either always Luxembourgish with German or Luxembourgish with French. At times, you will notice a lot more French wordings everywhere.
Media such as TV and radio stations use Luxembourgish, and foreign cinema movies are in French, German, or English with subtitles, or they are dubbed. The written press, as a contrast, is primarily in German.
This still makes Luxembourgish the most widely used language in the country.
If you want to settle in Luxembourg and get a resident permit, you have to compulsory take the A1, and subsequently, the A2 Luxembourg language exam because this language is part of everyday life.
Yet, as an English-speaking visitor, you won't have to fret!
Do they speak English?
Fortunately, most people in the multilingual state of Luxembourg speak and understand English fluently.
Luxembourg city is one of the three European Union capitals, with Strasbourg (France) and Brussels (Belgium), and it's also a banking and business hub.
Therefore, you will find many foreigners living or commuting to and working in the capital city. Besides, Tourism has been relatively booming lately.
English is kind of the 4th language, besides Luxembourgish, German and French.
We didn't have any issues speaking English with the people in Luxembourg. We also speak German and French, but tested our English whenever possible.
You can confidently have an English dialogue with the people of Luxembourg in the capital city.
You may get away with speaking English in the neighboring countryside villages, but honestly, here you will have better chances communicating in German or French, than in English.
Tourist attractions in Luxembourg city are English language centered. The state is accommodating tourists with English tourist signboards at major sights.
Younger people are always better approached because English was part of the school curriculum, like in most other European countries, from the 90s onwards.
Do the Luxembourger speak other languages?
Today, many 1st and 2nd Generation Luxembourger also speak a variety of languages.
This includes Portuguese, Italian, Arabic, Farsi, Romanian, Polish to just name a few.
Currently, only 52% of residents are Luxembourgers and the rest are a mix of foreigners.
The foreigners are from neighboring countries, as well as from Portugal, Italy, Spain, Romania, UK, Cape Verde, Brazil, USA, China, and Poland.
More About Luxembourg
- Is it worth visiting Luxembourg?
- Luxembourg things to do
- Luxembourg Gardens — the country that inspired the name of this royal garden in Paris.
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