Dutch vs Flemish: Memorize the 15 Words That Really Differ (NL vs BE)

Netherlands Dutch and Flemish (Belgian Dutch) share one standard language, but they differ in everyday words. Deck LJ7789, "Dutch (NL) vs Flemish (BE)", covers that difference in 36 cards. Each card has an English front and a back in the form NL: … · BE: …. The useful core is about 15 cards, and here is how to get the most from them.

Real cards from the deck

What the deck covers

French loanwords common in Flanders: trottoir, portefeuille, gilet, permis, salut, s.v.p. Words used only in Flanders: kuisen, zot, GSM, frieten, vuilbak, wagen, boterham, tof. Greetings: Dutch hoi/doei versus Flemish hallo/daag. Daily life: broodje, keuken, badkamer, stofzuiger, winkel, fles, straks, bezig zijn.

How to study it

Drop the cards marked "same". 21 of the 36 backs say (same): trein, ontbijt, lekker, leuk, bellen, halen, winkel, fles, badkamer, stofzuiger, nu, moe, and more. They teach basic Dutch, not the difference between the two varieties. Suspend them and the deck becomes 15 contrast cards that you can learn in two sessions.

Learn the false friends as a set. Vest means a waistcoat in the Netherlands but a jacket in Flanders, which is why Flemish speakers borrow gilet for a waistcoat. Poetsen follows the same pattern. In the Netherlands it mostly means to polish or brush (tanden poetsen). In Flanders it is a general word for cleaning, as in poetsvrouw (cleaning lady). Put cards 24, 29 and 30 on one card so you can see the contrast in one place.

Don't trust the number cards. Cards 8 and 10 say some older Flemish speakers use septante or a quatre-vingts pattern. In practice, septante and nonante are Belgian French. Flemish Dutch says zeventig, tachtig, negentig, just as in the Netherlands. Rewrite these backs as "same", or delete the cards. Cards 6 and 7 also overlap: GSM means a mobile phone, and a landline is a telefoon in both countries.

What to add

The deck leaves out the most obvious Flemish features. Write about 5 extra cards for them: ge/gij as the informal "you" in speech (instead of jij), the diminutive -ke (manneke) next to -je, and the everyday words goesting (appetite or desire), plezant (fun) and allez (come on, well).

Search for the code LJ7789 in the Flip It library at flip-it.app. For the vocabulary underneath these contrasts, use Dutch Travel & Food Vocabulary (where patat and friet appear again) and the 1000-word Dutch frequency guide.