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How to Say ‘Yes, I'm allergic to penicillin.’ in German

Ja, ich bin allergisch gegen Penicillin.

yah ikh bin a-LER-gish GAY-gen pe-ni-tsi-LEEN

[yah ikh bin a-LER-gish GAY-gen pe-ni-tsi-LEEN]

💬 Usage Tip: German says allergic "against" something: allergisch gegen, not with a word for "to". Swap in anything: allergisch gegen Latex "allergic to latex".

Phrase Breakdown

Ja, ich bin allergisch

yah ikh bin a-LER-gish

Yes, I am allergic

'Ja' sounds like 'yah'. Pause briefly after it, then continue smoothly.

Example

Ja, ich bin allergisch gegen Katzen.

Yes, I am allergic to cats.

Words in this phrase

[yah]

yes

A basic word for agreeing or answering positively.

Example

Ja, ich habe meinen Reisepass dabei.

Yes, I have my passport with me.

ich

[ikh]

The pronoun 'ich' in nominative form.

Example

Ich bin da.

I am here.

bin

[bin]

A form of 'sein' meaning 'am' with 'ich'.

Example

In Ich bin bedeutet bin 'am'.

In Ich bin, bin means 'am'.

allergisch

[a-LER-gish]

allergic

Adjective describing a person who reacts badly to a substance.

Example

Mein Sohn ist allergisch gegen Nüsse.

My son is allergic to nuts.

gegen Penicillin.

GAY-gen pe-ni-tsi-LEEN

to penicillin.

Germans use 'gegen' (against) with allergies. In 'Penicillin', the 'c' sounds like 'ts' and the stress falls on the last syllable.

Example

Das hilft gegen Schmerzen.

That helps against pain.

Words in this phrase

gegen

[GAY-gen]

against; to (with allergies)

Preposition meaning against; used with 'allergisch' for 'allergic to'.

Example

Ich bin gegen Latex allergisch.

I am allergic to latex.

Penicillin

[pe-ni-tsi-LEEN]

penicillin

A common antibiotic medicine.

Example

Der Arzt gibt kein Penicillin.

The doctor gives no penicillin.

Guides for German learners

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