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How to say you're allergic to something in ChineseFree in the app

Peanut oil hides everywhere, 'vegetarian' sometimes includes pork broth, and your allergy is not a preference. These phrases are load-bearing — drill them.

What you'll say

Tap play to hear it. Everything on this page runs in your browser — nothing is uploaded.

Heads-up: the voice you hear here is your browser’s built-in Mandarin — the app sounds considerably better. On iPhone it uses Apple’s enhanced and premium system voices, plays at real conversational speed, and has a slow mode for practising.

This device has no Chinese voice installed, so audio can’t play here. The app doesn’t have that problem — it uses the Mandarin voices built into iOS.

我对花生过敏,很严重。
Wǒ duì huāshēng guòmǐn, hěn yánzhòng.
I'm allergic to peanuts — it's serious.
Add 很严重 (hěn yánzhòng, 'very serious') so it's not treated as a preference. Tap the switch to set YOUR allergen — it stays set.
这个菜里有花生吗?
Zhège cài lǐ yǒu huāshēng ma?
Does this dish have peanuts in it?
我吃素,不吃肉。
Wǒ chī sù, bù chī ròu.
I'm vegetarian — I don't eat meat.
Also specify 也不要肉汤 (yě bú yào ròutāng, 'no meat broth either') — broth doesn't count as meat to many kitchens.
可以不放辣椒和花生吗?
Kěyǐ bú fàng làjiāo hé huāshēng ma?
Can you make it without chili and peanuts?
可以不放…吗 = 'can you leave out…'. Kitchens are usually happy to comply.

What they'll say back

This is the part nobody teaches. Real Mandarin comes back fast and blunt, so hear it at natural speed first.

Press play before you read. In the app, anything you miss comes back slower and then again later, until you catch it at full speed.

They say
这个有花生酱,你能吃吗?
Zhège yǒu huāshēngjiàng, nǐ néng chī ma?
This has peanut sauce — can you eat it?
You can answer
不能,帮我换一个没有花生的。
Bù néng, bāng wǒ huàn yí ge méiyǒu huāshēng de.
No — please swap it for something without peanuts.
They say
素菜的话,推荐这个麻婆豆腐。
Sùcài dehuà, tuījiàn zhège mápó dòufu.
For vegetarian, I recommend this mapo tofu.
You can answer
里面有肉末吗?完全不要肉。
Lǐmiàn yǒu ròumò ma? Wánquán bú yào ròu.
Does it have minced meat? Absolutely no meat.

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