VlaamsNederlandse

Vlaams-Nederlands refers to the Dutch language varieties spoken in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking northern part of Belgium. It is a regional variant of Dutch within the broader Dutch language continuum and is not considered a separate language. The term can cover both standard Flemish as used in education and media and the many regional Flemish dialects.

Mutual intelligibility with Algemeen Nederlands (Standard Dutch) is high, but Flemish shows distinctive pronunciation, vocabulary, and some syntactic patterns. In formal writing and broadcast speech, a form of Dutch derived from Standard Dutch is used, adapted to Flemish norms and expectations. Dialects vary by region—West Flemish, East Flemish, Brabantian, and Limburgian varieties are among the better known.

Notable features include the use of gij as second-person pronoun in many dialects (instead of jij), the use of ge as a discourse marker or prefix, and frequent diminutives; there are also regional lexical differences. Orthography generally follows Standard Dutch, but local terms and spellings occur in informal writing.

Sociolinguically, Dutch is the official language of Flanders; education and public life rely on Algemeen Nederlands as the formal standard, while Flemish varieties are widely used in informal speech, media, and local administration. The Flemish language landscape reflects a continuum from broad dialects to a standard Dutch aligned with Flemish norms, shaping language use in everyday life and policy in Belgium.