About 6.5 million people in Belgium speak Dutch, and the Dutch of Flanders sounds different from the Dutch of the Netherlands. Most Dutch apps never say which one they teach, so this page checks which apps teach Flemish, and what each one gives you. For courses, news, and classes in Belgium, see our guide to Flemish resources.
Our Dutch app comparison covers every kind of Dutch, and our Flemish comprehensible input apps cover what to read and watch.
Bubblegum
For serious learners, Bubblegum is the best app to learn Flemish. You learn from Flemish you can mostly understand, which is called comprehensible input.
Tell Poppy, your AI tutor, your level and what you like, and she writes your Flemish lessons. If a sentence is hard to follow, ask Poppy to explain it. Ask her why a Fleming says where someone in the Netherlands says .
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 Dutch, with Belgian words and places, like a or a tram in Ghent.
- Lessons are read aloud with Flemish pronunciation.
- 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 teach standard Belgian Dutch and don't cover local dialects like West Flemish.
- 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 page says the g is pronounced softly in Flanders and harder in the Netherlands, and it sells Flemish apart from its Dutch course. You hear each word from a Fleming, which helps if the sound is what worries you.
- uTalk has a separate Flemish course, recorded by people from Flanders.
- Download it and practice offline.
MobileWeb
NedBox
NedBox comes from Flanders and is free. You tap a place on a map of a town, like a shop or the hospital, and practice the Dutch you'd need there.
- Practice with clips and articles from VRT, Het Nieuwsblad, and Wablieft.
- Exercises follow everyday life in Flanders, like buying bread or calling a landlord.
MobileWeb
Preply
The app can't tell you what a tutor will teach, so ask a tutor from Belgium for Flemish before you book.
- Filter Dutch tutors by country of birth, and pick Belgium.
- Book one-to-one lessons over video.
MobileWeb
italki
italki profiles show where each teacher is from, so you can find one from Belgium.
- Filter Dutch teachers by where they're from.
- Pick a lesson time that suits you both.
MobileWeb
Tandem
On Tandem, you help someone with your language while they help you with Dutch. Search for partners in Belgium, and they'll speak the Dutch they grew up with.
- Find language partners who live in Belgium.
- Trade voice notes, or talk over video.
MobileWeb
Other Apps We Looked At (4)
- BusuuBusuu's Dutch page says you learn the cultural and linguistic differences between Dutch (Holland) and Flemish (Belgium). The page doesn't say where its audio is recorded.
- ReelangReelang is new and growing. Its App Store page says it has short clips from the Netherlands and Flanders, with Flemish as its own feed of more than a thousand clips.
- HelloTalkMessage Dutch speakers from Flanders and the Netherlands, and help each other improve.
- BabbelBabbel's Dutch page says Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands and in Belgium. It doesn't say which Dutch the course teaches.
| App | Teaches It | Accent You Hear |
|---|---|---|
| Bubblegum | Yes | Flemish |
| uTalk | Yes, a Flemish course | Recorded by people from Flanders |
| NedBox | Made in Flanders | Flemish clips and articles |
| Busuu | PartlyIts page mentions the differences | Not stated |
| Reelang | PartlyA Flemish feed of clips | The clip speakers' own |
| 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 |
| HelloTalk | PartlyWith a partner from Flanders | 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. |
| NedBox | Free | The NedBox app and website are free to use. |
| 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. |
| Busuu | Free version | Many Busuu features are free. Busuu Premium gives you all of them. |
| Reelang | Free version | Reelang is free to use. Reelang+ adds more features with a subscription. |
| HelloTalk | Free version | Chatting with language partners is free. HelloTalk VIP removes ads and adds unlimited translations and more new partners each day. |
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 |
| NedBox | 1 | App Store |
| Preply | 19 | App Store |
| italki | 19 | App Store |
| Tandem | 14 | App Store |
| Babbel | 9 | Full list |
| Busuu | 15 | Full list |
| Reelang | 21 | Full list |
| HelloTalk | 16 | Full list |
Which Flemish app should a beginner choose?
If you are serious about learning Flemish, start with Bubblegum. Poppy, your AI tutor, writes lessons at your level about things you like. Or start with uTalk if you'd like to hear Flemish words from people in Flanders first. To combine an app with a podcast and a tutor, see the best way to learn Flemish.
Does the g sound different in Flemish?
Yes. uTalk's Flemish page says the g is soft in Flanders and guttural in the Netherlands, and Wikipedia's page on Dutch phonology describes the same split as a soft g in the south and a hard g in the north. A Dutch show from the Netherlands may sound different at first.
Do I need an app made for Flemish?
No. Belgium and the Netherlands share one official spelling, so a Dutch app still helps you. The Flemish government's language advice lists the words that differ, like containerpark for a recycling center, so add Flemish audio and those words from one of the apps above.
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
- Taalunie: facts and figures (about 6.5 million Dutch speakers in Belgium)
- Team Taaladvies (Flemish government): differences between standard Dutch in Belgium and in the Netherlands
- Woordenlijst: the official Dutch spelling for the Netherlands and Flanders
- Wikipedia: Dutch phonology (the soft g of the south and the hard g of the north)
- Bubblegum: Dutch (Belgium)
- uTalk: Learn Flemish (Belgium Dutch)
- uTalk: what's free
- uTalk: Languages you can learn from
- NedBox app on the App Store
- Flemish government: NedBox, practice with material from VRT, Het Nieuwsblad and Wablieft
- VRT: NedBox is a free app and website
- Preply: Dutch tutors (country of birth filter)
- Preply: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: Dutch teachers
- italki: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- italki: what's free
- Tandem: language exchange in Belgium
- Tandem: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Tandem: what's free
- Busuu: Learn Dutch (differences between Dutch from Holland and Flemish)
- Busuu: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- Reelang: Learn Dutch on the App Store (a Flemish feed)
- HelloTalk: Dutch language exchange
- HelloTalk: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
- HelloTalk: what's free
- HelloTalk: what the paid plan adds
- Babbel: Learn Dutch (the page does not say which Dutch)
- Babbel: iPhone App Store listing (languages you can use it in)
