After years of responding with “uhh” and biting her lip when anyone speaks to her in Luxembourgish, an expat has made a promise that in the upcoming year she will learn how to say “I don’t speak Luxembourgish” in Luxembourgish. Frederique Bellec says the task will be difficult, not least of all because it means […]
Expats confused by mysterious letters on commune door
In what appears to be an attempt to confuse innocent people, three mysterious and seemingly random letters have been posted on the door of a Luxembourg commune. The letters, along with a bizarre image of a person raising a finger, baffled four expats who had planned on taking care of some routine administrative matters. “Sorry, […]
On learning Luxembourgish: opposing views
My expat neighbor has learned Luxembourgish There is a very persistent rumor that people who move to Luxembourg don’t make an effort to learn Luxembourgish, and that some live here for decades using only English or French. As a Luxembourger, I would like to say this is simply not true. I have known many people […]
Fear, confusion as colleagues suddenly switch into Luxembourgish
An expat who works in Capellen is recovering after a scary, morale-threatening six-minute plunge into total Luxembourgish. The incident occurred on Tuesday while Rachel Larson, who moved to Luxembourg two years ago, was having lunch at a restaurant with her office mates Annick Krier and Sylvie Wagner. “We’d just ordered our plats du jour and […]
On this date: first anglophone amused by ‘dat ass’
This year marks an important moment in the history of anglophones in Luxembourg. It was on this date 200 years ago that the first English speaker found humor in the Luxembourgish clause “dat ass.” Welshman Thomas Lewis spent several weeks in Luxembourg City on his way to Switzerland where he hoped to start a new […]