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It will take longer than usual for today's fog to clear. The sky will be covered by high clouds, which will clear in the evening. No rain is expected. 

Temperatures during the day — up to 21-23°C, at night — down to 14-16°C

It is partly cloudy in Luxembourg

EDF, which operates France's Cattenom nuclear power plant, has reconnected reactor 2 to the grid after it was shut down for 

. All four reactors at the plant are now operational and supplying electricity. Despite fears among residents in the border regions, nothing dangerous has happened.

Reactor 2 at the Cattenom nuclear power plant in France has been reactivated

On September 22, 2023, the first "all-sky camera" was inaugurated in Our Nature Park. Installed on a water tank in the Wäisse Wak area of Putscheid, it 

will capture high-resolution images of the night sky

 and will be used by scientists, astronomers, schools, and planetariums to study the universe. Funding for the project is shared equally between the Ministry of the Environment, Climate and Sustainable Development and Our Nature Park.

A special camera installed in northern Luxembourg

Despite significant inflation, the purchasing power of the Luxembourg population has increased over the last four years. This is due to wage increases and indexation. However, this growth has not been evenly distributed. Low-income households continue to struggle due to 

. The data also showed that the tax rate is not indexed. As a result, taxes have increased as wages have risen.

Wages and purchasing power in the country are on the rise

Luxembourg's middle class is shrinking, according to a report by the Improof, a think tank within the Chamber of Employees. The group defines the middle class as households earning between 75% and 200% of the median net income, which was 41,192 euros in 2019. Only 61.4% of households were in the middle class that year, down from nearly 71% in 1985. To reverse this trend, Improof suggests 

that tax rates, benefits, and entitlements should be adjusted

 so that households in the lower and middle classes pay less in taxes and the richest 9% pay more.

The shrinking of the middle class in the Grand Duchy is a threat

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Moving

Get a look at the professional landscape in Luxembourg through expat interviews on Luxtoday. Learn about job opportunities, work culture, and career tips to successfully navigate the Grand Duchy's job market.

Work

Uncover hidden gems and top attractions in Luxembourg through expat interviews on Luxtoday. Get insider tips on the best places to explore, dine, and unwind in the Grand Duchy from those who've experienced it firsthand.

Sightseeings

Discover the diverse hobbies and interests of expats in Luxembourg through engaging interviews on Luxtoday. Learn how they pursue their passions and find inspiration for your own leisure activities in the Grand Duchy.

Hobbies

What language to start with in Luxembourg, how to learn Luxembourgish and prepare for the Sproochentest, how to integrate into the local culture and how knowledge of the Luxembourgish language is connected to obtaining Luxembourgish citizenship — get to know the experience of real people who teach and learn the language.

Learning a language

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Relocation

In order to obtain Luxembourg citizenship, among other formalities, you must pass the Sproochentest. It is a language test to prove your knowledge of the Luxembourgian language. The required level is A2 for spoken language, B1 for speech understanding. It seems a bit irrational to me, but the creators know best.

The Sproochentest looks like almost any other language test. We have a list of topics such as my home, my family, my work, my health, my kitchen and so on. And there are 25 questions about it, maybe more.

The speaking part involves telling a story based on one of the topics on the list.

The listening part involves listening to some audio fragments and answering questions in the form of a test.

You need a certain number of points to pass the exam. The speaking and listening blocks do not have to be in this order. But let's look at the 'classic' version.

At the beginning of the test, the examiner will offer you to choose two topics from a list. The candidate may choose any of them. After that, they will start the recording, set a timer for 5 minutes and you can start to speak about the topic. At the same time, some more questions on the topic will be asked. The questions are quite tricky; they may help you, or they may lead you into such mazes that you're sure to get confused. So it's best not to go there.

Demo version for speaking part

After answering the question on the topic, you are offered a choice of three pictures. They can be photos or they can be drawings. It is the same here — on a timer you describe what you see in these pictures.

In the second part of the test, the focus is on listening comprehension.

You will be asked to listen to three pieces of audio.

The first is usually an extract from the news: a kangaroo has escaped from the zoo, two cars have collided, the police have arrested someone and so on.

This means a large amount of text with some questions from the second person.

There are between 3 and 7 questions for each of the three extracts — news, dialogue and interview. And each question has 2-3 options for an answer. Both texts and questions are read out twice, which means you have enough time to understand and answer everything.

Demo version for listening part

There are two ways to take the listening test. You can either listen to the text with everyone else. Or you can do it on the iPad.

Most people choose the first option. To be honest, I don't know why.

Maybe there's a sense of community. You don't feel alone when you're doing these tasks. After all, everyone's parts can be quite different when listening from an electronic device.

I don't understand it either, because you can't copy your neighbour's answers — don't even try. If you do, you may be removed from the room and banned from taking the exam for some time.

The examinee will know the marks and results when he or she receives an email with the transcript of the marks. It is worth remembering that speaking is much more important than listening.

The value system for scoring is also quite curious. Technically, you have to gain 100 points across both tests. BUT!

For example, if you score 67 points in the speaking part, you can do the listening part just for fun. Over 50 points in speaking is almost a guarantee that you will pass the exam. However, it doesn't work the other way round!

In other words, if you only score, say, 38 points for the speaking test, you must gain all 62 points for the listening test. Otherwise, the test is considered failed.

You can, of course, use your guts and recall where you made mistakes during the exam, but it's rather unreliable. You should try your best in both parts.

Harsh! For cheating and cribbing, as I said, you will be removed from the exam. And if I'm not mistaken, you can't retake the exam for a year. Of course, the examinee is automatically given you a bad mark.

The same is true in the case of cheating. It's understandable that you wouldn't even think of taking a picture or redrawing during the speaking part. But during the exam, people sometimes try to take a picture of printed papers. For this kind of cheating, the punishment is more severe. You can even be sued.

I can't even say if it depends on gender. My students almost all pass with flying colours. Of course, there have been a few cases where they have not passed at first go. But these are the exceptions. I have only had four of them in my practice.

What impresses me about the students is how motivated they are. My first class starts at 6 in the morning. I wake up at 5.45 a.m., I barely have time to open my eyes, to open my laptop. And there's a man in a suit looking at me. He's rushing off to work, and he's studying the language with me before he starts. For me, these people are heroes.

Major preparation for the exam is an endless repetition of the listed topics. Absolutely never-ending. One should ask for help from a husband, wife, or dog in posing questions on these topics. In the end, you can also practice asking questions yourself, because if you can ask questions, you can also answer them.

However, you should be aware that the question can be asked in very different ways. There is no clear list that is one way and no other. Luxembourgian is very rich, there's a lot to choose from.

So as soon as they get out of the classroom, that's it. 90% of all their knowledge is lost. As far as I am concerned, I guarantee a good knowledge of grammar. It doesn't disappear. As for vocabulary, it is a matter of constant practice!

I'd highlight 5 basic taboos — these are things you absolutely must not do, under any circumstances:

Asking someone else to take the test for you

Cheating

Long silence

Switch to German

Criticise the country

You don't have to make it difficult. It's not even my case, it happens all the time. A person comes in and says, "Well, that's a boring story, let me tell you something nice, how I get out of bed in the morning and my slippers jump up on my feet!"

That's not a good idea. Why not? Because it's not one or two, it's one in two. And when an examiner hears stories like that all day long, he naturally gets annoyed. The consequences can be more insidious the more he gets fed up. For example, his question will be: "How do you do it yourself? Describe to me what is happening". That's it. How do you describe it?

Of course, you should not be late. All exams are scheduled at a certain time and if this does not suit you, write a letter asking for a different time. They will always meet you halfway!

The Luxembourgish language exam is administered by the INL language institute. Their 

 and you can also register there. It costs around 75 euros. If you do not pass, you can immediately register for a second exam.

Share your stories with us. If you would like to tell us about moving to Luxembourg and about life here, please write to our editors

or email editorial@luxtoday.lu. One person's experience can help many.

What is the Sproochentest and how to pass it