allergie aux fruits de mer
The English phrase "shellfish allergy" is allergie aux fruits de mer in French.
This phrase describes an immune system reaction caused by eating crustaceans or mollusks. If you wish to describe yourself as being allergic to shellfish, you should use the adjective form allergique aux fruits de mer instead of the noun.
Which one should you use?
While allergie aux fruits de mer is the general term for a shellfish allergy, allergie aux crustacés is a more specific formal way to express an allergy to crustaceans such as shrimp, crab and lobster.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase allergie aux fruits de mer, the preposition aux is a contraction of à and les, which is used here to indicate the category of the allergen.
Did you know?
- The word allergie comes from a German coinage based on the Ancient Greek words for 'other' and 'work'.
- While 'shellfish' focuses on the shell, fruits de mer treats these animals as 'fruits' of the ocean, a poetic categorization common in French culinary language.
- French has no single word for 'shellfish', requiring the multi-word phrase fruits de mer or the more technical crustacés.
Examples in context
- J'ai une allergie aux fruits de mer.I have a shellfish allergy.
- Elle doit faire attention à cause de son allergie aux fruits de mer.She must be careful because of her shellfish allergy.
Example conversation
At a seafood restaurant, Hugo is checking the menu for Manon.
- ManonEst-ce que ce plat est sûr pour moi ?Is this dish safe for me?
- HugoOui, je sais que tu as une allergie aux fruits de mer.Yes, I know that you have a shellfish allergy.
- ManonMerci de vérifier pour moi, Hugo.Thank you for checking for me, Hugo.
- HugoJe t'en prie, c'est important.You're welcome, it's important.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries allergie, aux, de, mer, CC BY-SA 4.0.
