Food preferences are easier to communicate when you can say exactly what you eat and what you avoid. In French, you can describe yourself as végétarien or végétalien, or simply say Je ne mange pas de viande, Je ne mange pas de porc, or Je ne mange pas de produits laitiers.
You can also ask what a dish contains or whether an ingredient can be left out.
If you need to communicate a food allergy or intolerance, see Communicating food allergies and intolerances.
Describing your diet
To say that you are vegetarian, vegan, or pescatarian, use the following phrases:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je suis végétarien. | I'm vegetarian. |
| Je suis végétarienne. | I'm vegetarian. |
| Je suis végétalien. | I'm vegan. |
| Je suis végétalienne. | I'm vegan. |
| Je suis pescétarien. | I'm pescatarian. |
| Je suis pescétarienne. | I'm pescatarian. |
You may also see vegan in French. Végétalien / végétalienne describes a diet that excludes animal products.
Pescétarien / pescétarienne describes someone who does not eat meat but does eat fish and seafood. Because the term may be less familiar, you can also say Je mange du poisson, mais pas de viande.
Saying what you eat and do not eat
You can say directly which foods you eat or avoid:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je ne mange pas de viande. | I don't eat meat. |
| Je ne mange pas de poisson. | I don't eat fish. |
| Je ne mange pas de porc. | I don't eat pork. |
| Je ne mange pas de produits laitiers. | I don't eat dairy products. |
| Je ne mange pas d'œufs. | I don't eat eggs. |
| Je mange du poisson et des fruits de mer. | I eat fish and seafood. |
Asking about ingredients
If you are not sure what a dish contains, you can ask:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Qu'est-ce qu'il y a dedans ? | What's in it? |
| Il y a du porc dedans ? | Is there pork in it? |
| Est-ce que ça contient des œufs ? | Does it contain eggs? |
| C'est végétarien ? | Is it vegetarian? |
| C'est végétalien ? | Is it vegan? |
Contenir means "to contain." You can change the ingredient in Est-ce que ça contient des œufs ? to ask about something else.
Il y a... dedans ? is a more conversational way to ask whether something is in a dish.
Asking for something without an ingredient
Sans means "without." You will see it on menus and packaging in expressions such as:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| sans viande | without meat / meat-free |
| sans gluten | gluten-free |
| sans lactose | lactose-free |
| sans alcool | alcohol-free |
You can also use sans when asking for an ingredient to be left out:
| French | English |
|---|---|
| Je voudrais le sandwich sans fromage. | I'd like the sandwich without cheese. |
| Je peux l'avoir sans oignons ? | Can I have it without onions? |
| C'est possible sans crème ? | Is it possible without cream? |
| Sans sauce, s'il vous plaît. | No sauce, please. |
From learning to practice
When you order food, use the description that communicates your needs most clearly. Je suis végétarien or Je suis végétalienne may be enough in some situations. When you need to be more specific, say what you do not eat, ask what the dish contains, or use sans to ask for an ingredient to be left out.