tengo alergia a los cacahuetes
/tenɡo aleɾxja a los kakawetes/from spelling rules
In Spanish, "I have a peanut allergy" is said as tengo alergia a los cacahuetes.
This phrase is used to inform others that eating peanuts causes an allergic reaction.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of tengo (I have), alergia (allergy), a (to) and los cacahuetes (the peanuts).
Which one should you use?
You can also express this using the adjective alérgico (masculine) or alérgica (feminine) instead of the noun alergia, as in Soy alérgico a los cacahuetes.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Mexico, the word cacahuates is more common than cacahuetes. In some Latin American countries, the term maní is used for peanuts. In Mexico and Central America, you can also say Soy alérgico/a a las nueces de tierra to express a peanut allergy.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses the definite article los before the noun, which is standard when talking about a general category of food one is allergic to.
Did you know?
- The Spanish word cacahuete is derived from the Nahuatl word cacahuatl, which was the same word used by Aztecs for cocoa beans.
- The word alergia was borrowed into Spanish from the German word Allergie, which itself was constructed from Ancient Greek roots.
- While nueces generally means 'walnuts' or 'nuts' in general, the phrase nueces de tierra literally translates to 'nuts of the earth' to specify peanuts.
Examples in context
- Lo siento, tengo alergia a los cacahuetes.I'm sorry, I have a peanut allergy.
- ¿Podría ayudarme? Tengo alergia a los cacahuetes.Could you help me? I have a peanut allergy.
Example conversation
Sofía is telling Daniel about her dietary restrictions at a dinner party.
- SofíaDaniel, tengo alergia a los cacahuetes.Daniel, I have a peanut allergy.
- DanielEntendido, Sofía. ¿Hay algo más que no puedas comer?Understood, Sofía. Is there anything else you cannot eat?
- SofíaNo, eso es todo, gracias.No, that is all, thank you.
- DanielPerfecto, avisaré al cocinero ahora mismo.Perfect, I will let the cook know right away.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, alergia, los, CC BY-SA 4.0.
