Asking About Allergens in French
Asking about allergens · a free French immersion capsule
Useful sentences · 10
Phrases you'll actually use today. Tap Explain for the why behind each one.
Excusez-moi, est-ce que ce plat contient des arachides ?
Excuse me, does this dish contain peanuts?
Literal Excuse me, is it that this dish contains some peanuts?
A polite, direct question to ask a waiter about a specific allergen. 'Est-ce que' is the standard way to form a yes/no question without inverting word order.
- 'Est-ce que' + subject + verb forms a question without inversion
- 'des arachides' uses the partitive article 'des' for an unspecified plural quantity
Je suis allergique aux crustacés et aux fruits de mer.
I am allergic to shellfish and seafood.
Literal I am allergic to the crustaceans and to the fruits of the sea.
A confident, clear allergy statement. 'Allergique à' combines with 'les' to become 'allergique aux'. 'Fruits de mer' is a fixed phrase for seafood.
- 'à + les' contracts to 'aux'
- 'fruits de mer' is a set phrase; literally 'fruits of the sea'
Pourriez-vous me dire si la sauce contient du gluten ?
Could you tell me if the sauce contains gluten?
Literal Could you tell me if the sauce contains some gluten?
'Pourriez-vous' is the conditional of 'pouvoir', making the question very polite. 'Si' introduces an indirect question here.
- 'Pourriez-vous + infinitive' is the conditional polite request form
- 'si' introducing an indirect yes/no question does not use inversion
Je voudrais savoir s'il y a du lait dans ce gâteau.
I would like to know if there is any milk in this cake.
Literal I would like to know if there is some milk in this cake.
'Je voudrais' is the conditional of 'vouloir', used for soft polite requests. 'S'il y a' elides 'si' before the vowel in 'il'.
- 'Je voudrais + infinitive' expresses a polite wish using the conditional
- 's'il y a' is the elided form of 'si il y a' (if there is)
Avez-vous des options sans noix pour les personnes allergiques ?
Do you have nut-free options for people with allergies?
Literal Have you some options without nuts for the allergic people?
Uses subject-verb inversion for a formal yes/no question, and 'sans' to ask about allergen-free choices. 'Sans' is followed by a noun with no article.
- 'Avez-vous' uses formal subject-verb inversion for questions
- 'sans + noun (no article)' means 'free of' or 'without' something
Ce médicament contient-il des substances pouvant provoquer une réaction ?
Does this medication contain substances that could cause a reaction?
Literal This medication, does it contain some substances that can provoke a reaction?
An important question for a pharmacist. Uses formal inversion ('contient-il') and the present participle 'pouvant' as a modifier meaning 'that can'.
- 'contient-il' uses subject-verb inversion with a hyphen before 'il'
- 'pouvant' is the present participle of 'pouvoir', acting here as an adjective meaning 'capable of'
Mon enfant est allergique aux œufs ; pourriez-vous vérifier les ingrédients ?
My child is allergic to eggs; could you please check the ingredients?
Literal My child is allergic to the eggs; could you verify the ingredients?
Combines a clear allergy statement with a polite request. The semicolon links two closely related ideas. 'Œufs' (eggs) uses the masculine plural.
- 'à + les' contracts to 'aux' before plural nouns like 'œufs'
- 'vérifier' is a regular -er verb meaning to check or verify
Il vaut mieux préparer le repas sans produits laitiers.
It is better to prepare the meal without dairy products.
Literal It is worth more to prepare the meal without dairy products.
'Il vaut mieux + infinitive' is an impersonal expression for giving advice or recommendations. 'Produits laitiers' covers all dairy items.
- 'Il vaut mieux + infinitive' is impersonal and does not change form
- 'sans + bare plural noun' expresses the absence of a category of thing
Autrement dit, tous les plats doivent être sans gluten et sans soja.
In other words, all dishes must be gluten-free and soy-free.
Literal Otherwise said, all the dishes must be without gluten and without soy.
'Autrement dit' is a discourse marker used to rephrase or clarify. 'Doivent être' (must be) expresses obligation using 'devoir' in the present tense.
- 'Autrement dit' is a linking phrase for restating something more clearly
- 'devoir + être' expresses obligation; 'doivent' is third-person plural of 'devoir'
N'oubliez pas d'indiquer vos allergies lors de votre commande en ligne.
Don't forget to indicate your allergies when placing your online order.
Literal Do not forget to indicate your allergies at the time of your online order.
A practical reminder using the negative imperative. 'N'oubliez pas de + infinitive' means 'don't forget to do something'. 'Lors de' means 'at the time of'.
- 'N'oubliez pas de + infinitive' is the negative imperative of 'oublier' meaning 'don't forget to'
- 'lors de + noun' is a formal preposition meaning 'at the time of' or 'when'
New words · 10
Themed vocabulary, each with an example you can borrow.
allergique
allergic
Je suis allergique aux arachides.
I am allergic to peanuts.
Always paired with 'être' and followed by 'à'. Agrees in number with the subject (allergiques for plural).
arachide
peanut
Ce biscuit contient des arachides.
This biscuit contains peanuts.
Almost always plural in allergen contexts: 'les arachides'. One of the 14 major EU allergens.
gluten
gluten
Ce pain est fabriqué sans gluten.
This bread is made without gluten.
Used with 'sans' for gluten-free labeling: 'sans gluten'. No article when preceded by 'sans'.
crustacé
shellfish / crustacean
Elle ne mange jamais de crustacés.
She never eats shellfish.
Often used in the plural. One of the 14 major EU-labelled allergens.
ingrédient
ingredient
Quels sont les ingrédients de ce plat ?
What are the ingredients in this dish?
Used in the plural when asking about a dish. Also appears on food labels as 'liste des ingrédients'.
contenir
to contain
Ce yaourt contient du lait et du soja.
This yogurt contains milk and soy.
Irregular verb conjugated like 'tenir'. Key verb for allergen questions: 'contient-il...?'
réaction
reaction
Il a eu une réaction allergique grave.
He had a severe allergic reaction.
Paired with 'allergique' for 'allergic reaction'. Also appears in pharmacy contexts.
laitier
dairy
Je cherche des alternatives aux produits laitiers.
I am looking for alternatives to dairy products.
Most common in the phrase 'produits laitiers'. Feminine form: 'laitière'.
sans
without
Je voudrais un repas sans noix.
I would like a meal without nuts.
Always followed by a noun with NO article: 'sans gluten', 'sans lait', 'sans noix'.
vérifier
to check / to verify
Pouvez-vous vérifier les ingrédients pour moi ?
Can you check the ingredients for me?
A regular -er verb. Commonly used when asking staff or checking food labels for allergen information.
Short reading
A tiny story stitched from today's words. Translation is hidden, tap to peek.
Sophie invite des amis chez elle pour un dîner convivial. Avant de commencer à cuisiner, elle demande à chacun s'il a des allergies alimentaires. Marc lui explique qu'il est allergique aux arachides et au gluten, tandis que Julie précise qu'elle ne peut pas consommer de produits laitiers. Sophie vérifie soigneusement les étiquettes de tous les ingrédients et prépare un repas délicieux sans arachides, sans gluten et sans lait. Tout le monde apprécie son attention aux détails et passe une soirée agréable en toute sécurité.
Sentence by sentence
Sophie invite des amis chez elle pour un dîner convivial.
Sophie invites some friends to her home for a friendly dinner.
'Chez elle' means 'at her place' — 'chez' is used for someone's home. 'Convivial' describes a warm, sociable atmosphere.
Avant de commencer à cuisiner, elle demande à chacun s'il a des allergies alimentaires.
Before starting to cook, she asks each person if they have any food allergies.
'Avant de + infinitive' means 'before doing something'. 'Chacun' means 'each one' and takes a singular verb. 'Alimentaire' derives from 'aliment' (food).
Marc lui explique qu'il est allergique aux arachides et au gluten, tandis que Julie précise qu'elle ne peut pas consommer de produits laitiers.
Marc explains to her that he is allergic to peanuts and gluten, while Julie clarifies that she cannot consume dairy products.
'Lui explique' means 'explains to her'. 'Tandis que' means 'while/whereas', contrasting the two allergies. 'Ne peut pas' is the negation of 'pouvoir' (to be able to).
Sophie vérifie soigneusement les étiquettes de tous les ingrédients.
Sophie carefully checks the labels of all the ingredients.
'Soigneusement' (carefully) is an adverb derived from 'soigneux' (careful). 'Étiquettes' means labels — a practical word for reading food packaging.
Tout le monde apprécie son attention aux détails et passe une soirée agréable en toute sécurité.
Everyone appreciates her attention to detail and has a pleasant evening in complete safety.
'Tout le monde' means 'everyone' and always takes a singular verb. 'En toute sécurité' is a fixed phrase meaning 'in complete safety' or 'safely'.
Pattern of the day
One grammar move, explained once, that unlocks dozens of sentences.
Expressing Allergies: 'Je suis allergique à' + Noun
To state an allergy in French, use 'être allergique à' followed by a noun with its definite article. The preposition 'à' contracts with 'le' → 'au' and with 'les' → 'aux'. This pattern works for all subjects and is the standard, universally understood way to declare an allergy.
[subject] + être + allergique + à/au/aux + [allergen noun]
Je suis allergique aux arachides.
I am allergic to peanuts.
Il est allergique au gluten.
He is allergic to gluten.
Elle est allergique aux produits laitiers.
She is allergic to dairy products.
Nous sommes allergiques aux crustacés.
We are allergic to shellfish.
Mini practice · 5
Low-pressure, never graded. Just enough to make it stick.
Translate to French: 'I am allergic to peanuts.'
Hint Use the pattern 'Je suis allergique à' + noun
Which phrase correctly asks if a dish contains gluten?
Mon enfant est ___ aux œufs ; pourriez-vous vérifier les ingrédients ?
Hint This describes the child's condition with allergens
Translate to English: 'Avez-vous des options sans noix pour les personnes allergiques ?'
Rewrite as a polite question asking if something contains a specific ingredient: 'This sauce has milk in it.' (Use 'Pourriez-vous' for politeness)
Hint Use 'contenir' (to contain) and 'pourriez-vous' for politeness
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