allergia
/al.lerˈd͡ʒi.a/feminine
The English word "allergy" is translated into Italian as allergia.
allergia is a feminine noun used to describe a disorder of the immune system. While allergia is the most common term, you may also see Ipersensibilità used to convey the same idea. In many contexts, particularly regarding food, the word Intolleranza is used. Although this literally means "intolerance," it is used to describe certain types of food allergies.
Meaning: disorder of the immune system (noun)
Which one should you use?
The adjective forms are used to describe a person's state: use allergico for a masculine subject and allergica for a feminine subject.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the noun allergia, it is typically followed by the preposition a to indicate the substance causing the reaction. If you are specifying a particular group of allergens, the preposition a combines with the definite article. For example, you might use alle for feminine plural groups or al for masculine singular groups.
How do you pronounce it?
The pronunciation is /al.lerˈdʒi.a/. It has 4 syllables, with the stress on the 3rd syllable.
Did you know?
- The word allergia is a loanword from the German 'Allergie' rather than being a direct descendant of Latin.
- While English speakers often say they 'have' an allergy, Italians frequently use the verb 'soffrire' (to suffer), saying soffro di un'allergia to emphasize the physical distress.
- The roots of allergia come from the Greek words for 'other' and 'work', suggesting a reaction that is an 'altered' or 'different' activity of the body.
Examples in context
- Ho un'allergia alle noccioline.I have an allergy to peanuts.This sentence uses allergia to express having an allergy to peanuts.Tatoeba #7260701 by Guybrush88, translation #3688481 by Hybrid
- Soffre di un'allergia alle arachidi.He suffers from a peanut allergy.This sentence uses allergia to describe suffering from a peanut allergy.Tatoeba #13006574 by Nuel, translation #13006573 by Nuel
- Le arachidi scatenano la sua allergia.Peanuts trigger his allergy.This sentence uses allergia to show how peanuts trigger an allergy.Tatoeba #13006516 by Nuel, translation #13006515 by Nuel
- Ho un'allergia al latteI have a milk allergy
- Ho un'allergia alle nociI have a nut allergy
- Ho un'allergia grave al lattosioI have a severe lactose allergy
- Ho un'allergia al grano, devo stare attento/a a cosa mangio.I have a wheat allergy, I have to be careful about what I eat.
- 8 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Lorenzo and Chiara are discussing food at a restaurant.
- LorenzoPuoi mangiare il pesce, vero?You can eat fish, right?
- ChiaraNo, ho un'allergia al pesce.No, I have a fish allergy.
- LorenzoNon lo sapevo, scusa.I didn't know, sorry.
- ChiaraNessun problema, Lorenzo.No problem, Lorenzo.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “allergy” translations and entries allergia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries allergia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
