Navegando Alergias à Mesa

Literal This dish has peanut?

A direct, natural way to ask whether a dish contains a specific allergen. In Brazilian Portuguese, yes/no questions are formed by intonation alone—no word-order inversion needed.

• 'Tem' is the third-person singular of 'ter' (to have), used impersonally to mean 'does it have / is there'.
• 'Este' (masculine) agrees with 'prato' (dish): este prato, esta mesa.

Literal I am allergic to fruits of the sea.

'Frutos do mar' literally means 'fruits of the sea'—the standard Brazilian term for seafood. 'Alérgico' changes to 'alérgica' for feminine speakers.

• 'Sou' is the first-person singular of 'ser' (to be), used for permanent traits such as allergies.
• 'Alérgico/a a' + noun = allergic to something. The gender of the adjective matches the speaker, not the noun.

Literal Could you to-me tell the ingredients of-this dish?

'Poderia' is the conditional of 'poder' (can/to be able to), making this request sound polite and considerate—perfect when speaking to waitstaff.

• 'Poderia' (conditional of 'poder') softens a request: poderia me dizer? = could you tell me?
• Clitic pronoun 'me' (me / to me) sits before the main verb in everyday Brazilian speech.

Literal Not I-can eat gluten.

'Não posso' + infinitive is the clearest, most direct way to state a dietary restriction. Restaurant staff recognize this pattern immediately.

• 'Não' placed before the verb creates negation: não posso = I cannot.
• 'Posso' is the first-person singular present of 'poder'. No subject pronoun is required—verb ending shows person.

Literal Has some dairy in-this sauce?

Impersonal 'tem' meaning 'there is/are' is extremely common in Brazilian Portuguese and sounds natural in restaurant contexts. 'Algum' (any/some) adds the sense of 'even a trace of'.

• Impersonal 'tem' = 'there is/are'; it replaces 'há' in everyday Brazilian speech.
• 'Algum' is the masculine singular indefinite pronoun: algum laticínio, alguma noite.

Literal I-need of a dish without eggs, please.

'Sem' (without) is the key preposition for dietary requests. Ending with 'por favor' keeps the tone warm rather than demanding.

• 'Preciso de' + noun = I need something. The preposition 'de' is obligatory.
• 'Sem' + noun = without. No article follows for uncountable nouns: sem ovos, sem leite, sem glúten.

Literal My allergy is quite serious.

Adding 'bastante' (quite/rather) emphasizes severity without sounding alarming. This phrase helps staff understand it is a genuine health concern, not simply a preference.

• 'Minha' is the feminine possessive adjective (alergia is feminine): minha alergia, meu prato.
• 'Bastante' functions as an adverb modifying the adjective: bastante grave = quite serious.

Literal The cake contains walnuts or cashews?

'Contém' (contains) is slightly more formal than 'tem' and appears frequently on food labels and menus—useful for both dining out and reading packaging.

• 'Contém' is the third-person singular of 'conter' (to contain), an irregular verb derived from 'ter'.
• 'Ou' = or; it lets you ask about multiple potential allergens in a single question.

Literal You could ask to-the chef, please?

When the waiter is unsure, this politely escalates to the kitchen. 'Cozinheiro' means cook/chef; 'chef' is also widely understood in Brazilian Portuguese.

• 'Você poderia' + infinitive = a polite conditional request addressed directly to someone.
• 'Ao' is the contraction of 'a + o': perguntar ao cozinheiro = ask the chef.

Literal Very obliged for to-verify that for me.

Closing the exchange warmly maintains goodwill and keeps the relationship positive. A woman would say 'obrigada'—the adjective always matches the speaker's gender.

• 'Obrigado/a' changes with the speaker's gender, not the listener's: men say obrigado, women say obrigada.
• 'Por' + infinitive = for doing something: obrigado por verificar = thank you for checking.