About 40% of Belgians speak French as their first language, mostly in Wallonia and Brussels. Their French is close to the French of France, with Belgian number words and everyday words, so a French app helps you here. This page checks which apps say they teach the Belgian kind, and what each gives you. For tutors, media, and more, see our guide to Belgian French resources.
Our French app comparison covers every kind of French, and our Belgian French comprehensible input apps cover what to read and watch.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn French. You learn from French you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Belgian French lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it. Ask her why Belgians say septante for 70.
With Regenerative Review™, words you save show up again in new lessons, so that you can review words in new contexts without having to use flashcards.
Bubblegum focuses on reading and listening more than speaking, so for speaking practice, try a tutor or partner in Tutors and Partners From Belgium.
- Lessons are in Belgian French, with Belgian words like septante and nonante for 70 and 90, and a gsm for a mobile phone.
- Regenerative Review™ brings saved words back in new lessons, and you can export them to Anki.
- Clear, expressive AI voices read every lesson aloud, with a different voice for each speaker.
- Lessons are read aloud in standard French, not a Belgian accent, so listen to Belgian radio and TV too.
- Lessons teach standard Belgian French and don't cover regional speech, like Walloon.
- Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read.
- Regenerative Review™
Mobile
uTalk
uTalk's French page says Belgium is a place where French is spoken, and you choose standard or Canadian French. Use it for everyday words, and learn the Belgian ones elsewhere.
- Its French course has over 60 topics and over 2500 words and phrases.
- Download it and practice offline.
MobileWeb
Pimsleur
Pimsleur is built around listening and speaking out loud, so it fits learners who want to talk early.
- The French course has 5 levels with 30-minute conversation lessons.
- Its page offers a 7-day free trial.
MobileWeb
Babbel's French page doesn't name a variety either. Its FAQ says most learners start with standard European French.
Preply
An app can't tell you what a tutor will teach, so ask a tutor from Belgium for Belgian French before you book.
- Filter French tutors by country of birth, and look for Belgium.
- Book one-to-one lessons over video.
MobileWeb
italki
Tell your teacher you want Belgian French, so the examples fit the people you'll talk to.
- Use the Teachers from filter to look for French teachers from Belgium.
- Pick a lesson time that suits you both.
MobileWeb
Tandem
On Tandem, you help someone with your language while they help you with French. Search for partners in Belgium to hear the French they grew up with.
- Tandem lists members in Brussels, Liège, Ghent, and Antwerp.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video.
MobileWeb
| App | Belgian French | Accent You Hear |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Standard French |
| uTalk | No, standard and Canadian French | Not stated |
| Pimsleur | PartlyPage names no variety | Not stated |
| Babbel | PartlyPage names no variety | Not stated |
| Preply | PartlyWith a tutor from Belgium | The tutor's own |
| italki | PartlyWith a tutor from Belgium | The tutor's own |
| Tandem | PartlyWith a partner in Belgium | The partner's own |
| App | Free? | What's Free |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Free version | Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. |
| uTalk | Some lessons free | Every language has free starter words, and getting full marks in the games opens one more topic for free. For the rest, you subscribe or buy a language or topic. |
| Pimsleur | Free trial | You can try Pimsleur free for 7 days. After that, you pay for one language or for all of them. |
| Preply | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each tutor sets their own price. If your first tutor isn't a good fit, you can try two more for free. |
| italki | Paid | You pay for each lesson, and each teacher sets their own price. Practicing with the community and taking the level test are free. |
| Tandem | Free version | Signing up is free, and Tandem reviews each new member first. Many features are free, and Tandem Pro gives you all of them. |
The number of languages you can use an app in isn't the same as the languages its lessons explain things in, so try one lesson in your language before you pay.
| App | Languages You Can Use It In | Full List |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | 76 | Supported language pairs |
| uTalk | 140+ | Full list |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Tandem | 14 | App Store |
Which Belgian French app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning French, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with a tutor from Belgium if you'd like to hear Belgian French from the first lesson. To combine an app with radio and a tutor, see the best way to learn Belgian French.
Do I need an app made for Belgian French?
No. Wikipedia lists the differences as mostly numbers and everyday words, so a French app still teaches you the shared grammar. Learn septante and nonante from Bubblegum or a tutor, and keep quatre-vingts for 80, since Belgians don't use the Swiss huitante.
Do Belgians use the same words for meals?
Not always. Wikipedia says Belgian French uses déjeuner for breakfast and dîner for lunch, where France says petit déjeuner and . Check the time of day when you're invited.
Is Bubblegum free?
Yes. Lessons Poppy wrote for other learners are free for everyone to read. Custom lessons cost us money to make, so you need Bubblegum Pro for unlimited custom lessons.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Belgian French (about 40% of Belgians speak French natively; septante, nonante, savoir, une fois, kot)
- Brussels Times: French belgicisms 101 (GSM, brol, drache, kot)
- Bubblegum: French (Belgium)
- uTalk: French (standard and Canadian French, no Belgian course)
- uTalk: what's free
- uTalk: Languages you can learn from
- Pimsleur: Learn French (the page does not name a variety)
- Babbel: Learn French (the page does not name a variety)
- Preply: French tutors (country of birth filter; prices by tutor nationality include Belgium)
- Preply: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: French teachers (Teachers from filter)
- italki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: what's free
- Tandem: language exchange in Belgium (members in Brussels, Liège, Ghent and Antwerp)
- Tandem: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tandem: what's free
- Bubblegum
- uTalk
- italki
- Tandem
