je suis allergique
To say "I am allergic" in French, use je suis allergique.
This phrase is a statement used to communicate that a person has a medical sensitivity to a specific substance.
Which one should you use?
While je suis allergique is the standard way to state an allergy, you can use Je réagis mal à to emphasize that you have adverse reactions to a particular allergen. For an informal way to say "I am allergic to that", you can use Je suis allergique à ça.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective allergique is invariable in gender, so it stays the same whether the speaker is male or female. When following je suis allergique with the substance you are allergic to, you must use the preposition à combined with the definite article: au, à la or aux.
What mistakes should you avoid?
Avoid using the preposition de when stating what you are allergic to. English speakers often mistakenly say "allergique de" instead of using à.
Did you know?
- While allergique refers to medical sensitivities, the word allergie is sometimes used figuratively in French to describe a strong dislike or an instinctive aversion to a person or a situation.
- The word suis in this phrase is a linguistic oddity. Its current form was heavily influenced by the Latin word for 'I was' rather than following the standard path for 'I am'.
- When dining in France, speakers may use je ne supporte pas, meaning 'I cannot tolerate', to group medical allergies and digestive intolerances together.
Examples in context
- Je suis allergique au kiwi.I am allergic to kiwi.This sentence is useful for saying you are allergic to kiwi using je suis allergique.Tatoeba #9704577 by lbdx, translation #8775529 by User87977
- Je suis allergique au pollen.I am allergic to pollen.This sentence is useful for saying you are allergic to pollen using je suis allergique.Tatoeba #6722 by sacredceltic, translation #256550 by frpzzd
- Je suis allergique aux chats.I am allergic to cats.This sentence is useful for saying you are allergic to cats using je suis allergique.Tatoeba #4462985 by gaetan, translation #2555906 by CC
- Excusez-moi, je suis allergique aux fruits de mer.Excuse me, I am allergic to seafood.
- J'ai une allergie aux noix.I have an allergy to nuts.
- Je réagis mal aux produits laitiers.I have adverse reactions to dairy products.
- Je suis allergique à ça, donc je ne peux pas en manger.I am allergic to that, so I can't eat it.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
At a restaurant, Hugo is checking the ingredients with Emma.
- HugoEst-ce qu'il y a des noix dans ce plat ?Are there any nuts in this dish?
- EmmaNon, pourquoi ? Tu en veux ?No, why? Do you want some?
- HugoNon, car je suis allergique aux fruits à coque.No, because I am allergic to nuts.
- EmmaAh, je comprends, fais attention alors.Ah, I understand, be careful then.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries allergique, je, suis, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
