The system also offers a wide range of measures and subjects that are aimed at integrating foreign pupils. Consequently, Luxembourg pupils learn at least three foreign languages as part of their schooling. The Luxembourg educational system places an emphasis on languages. English has become the language for business and finance, and it is very frequently used at meetings among people of different nationalities.īecause the community of Portuguese immigrants is so large, they often use their mother tongue in the workplace (especially in the construction, hotel and cleaning industries) as well as during their leisure time (clubs, societies, cafes, etc.). French is used particularly in trade, hotels, restaurants and cafes, mainly in the capital and its surrounding area.Įnglish is the lingua franca of the large international community working at the European institutions and of people employed in the banking and industrial sectors. Luxembourgish is used by 77% of the population.įrench is the main communication language, followed by Luxembourgish, German, English and Portuguese. At workĪccording to a 2018 study of the Ministry of National Education, 98% of the Luxembourg population speaks French, 80% speaks English, and 78% speaks German. Legislative documents are written in French and an important consequence of this on a judicial level is that only the French language text is deemed authentic for all levels of public administration. This means that citizens can apply to the administration in any of these three languages, and that officials must attempt 'as far as possible' to respond in the language used by the applicant. Contacting administrationsĪccording to the provisions of the Languages Law of 1984, 'French, German or Luxembourgish may be used' in administrative and judicial matters.

As a large number of cross-border workers work in the hospitality and gastronomy sector, French and German are used almost universally, and English is also a very popular language.

All the websites are multilingual and most tourist attractions have leaflets in various languages. The tourist sector is very open to different languages. Apart from the commonly used languages in Luxembourg, other languages are also spoken, especially English, Italian and Portuguese, but also Slavic or Nordic languages, a symbol of the rather substantial expat communities of Luxembourg.īut just to reassure you: it is a rare occurrence not to find a common language in Luxembourg.

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