Belge
/bɛlʒ/feminine, masculine
The English word "belgian" can be translated into French as Belge when referring to a person from Belgium.
When used as a noun to refer to a person, Belge is capitalized in French. The word is also used as an adjective to describe things that are of or pertaining to Belgian people or the country of Belgium.
Meaning: Belgian, person from Belgium (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The word Belge is the same in both masculine and feminine forms. To form the plural, simply add an 's' to create belges.
How do you pronounce it?
/bɛlʒ/
Did you know?
- The phrase c'est très belge is often used to describe something surreal or absurd, nodding to the influence of Belgian surrealists like René Magritte.
- In France, Belge is frequently used in the context of 'blagues belges', which are a specific genre of jokes depicting Belgians as naive or clumsy, similar to how English speakers tell 'blonde' jokes.
- The word Belge refers to a modern citizen, but in historical French texts, it often refers to the Belgae, the ancient Celtic tribes that lived in the region during the Roman era.
Examples in context
- Mon amie est belge.My friend is Belgian.This sentence uses Belge to describe a person.Tatoeba #8473705 by felix63, translation #10176890 by AlanF_US
- Lequel préfères-tu, le chocolat suisse ou le chocolat belge ?Which do you prefer, Swiss chocolate or Belgian chocolate?This sentence uses belge as an adjective for chocolate.Tatoeba #13729092 by zogwarg, translation #13729089 by mervert1
- Il n'y a pas de Belge, il n'y a que des Wallons et des Flamands.There is no such thing as a Belgian, there are only Walloons and Flemish.This sentence uses Belge as a noun to discuss different groups of people.Tatoeba #450592 by sacredceltic, translation #1748938 by belgavox
- Le gouvernement belge travaille sur de nouvelles politiques.The Belgian government is working on new policies.
- Les ressortissants belges doivent se munir de leur passeport.Belgian nationals must carry their passport.
- Les Belges sont connus pour leur amour de la bière.Belgians are known for their love of beer.
- Je discutais avec des amis belges avant le match.I was talking with some Belgian friends before the game.
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Emma and Gabriel are talking about their new coworker.
- EmmaEst-ce que le nouveau collègue est français ?Is the new colleague French?
- GabrielNon, c'est un Belge.No, he is a Belgian.
- EmmaAh, d'où vient-il exactement ?Ah, where exactly is he from?
- GabrielIl vient de Bruxelles.He comes from Brussels.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “belgian” translations and entries Belge, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
