How to ask what's in a dish in English
What's in the house salad?
“What is in the house salad?”
When: When you want to know the food inside a dish
The moment
You're at a lunch spot in Midtown Manhattan and the salad looks great, but you have a food allergy. Find out what's in the dish and order it safely.
A1 · Unit 2 · Café & food
The lines
Asking what's in a dish
Point at the menu and say "What's in the...?" and then the dish name. "What's in the house salad?" The server tells you the food in it.
What's in the house salad?
“What is in the house salad?”
When to use it: When you want to know the food inside a dish
What you’ll hear back: It's lettuce, tomato, cucumber and walnuts.
Telling the server about an allergy
Say "I'm allergic to" and then the food. "I'm allergic to nuts." Say it early. Servers take it seriously and tell the kitchen.
I'm allergic to nuts.
“Nuts make me sick, so I cannot eat them.”
When to use it: When a food makes you sick and you can't eat it
What you’ll hear back: No problem, I'll let the kitchen know. (I will tell the cooks.)
Words for this scene
| Word or phrase | Say it | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Can I get it without onions? | kan-ai GEH-dit wih-THOWT UN-yunz | Please make it with no onions. |
The burger sounds good. Can I get it without onions? I want the burger, but with no onions, please. Tip: Changing a dish is normal here; nobody thinks it's rude. | ||
| I don't eat meat. | ai DOHNT EET MEET | I never eat meat. |
I don't eat meat. Is the soup vegetarian? I never eat meat. Does the soup have no meat? Tip: Most menus mark vegetarian dishes with a small "V" or leaf. | ||
| Is it spicy? | IZ-it SPAI-see | Is it hot in the mouth, like chili? |
The chicken curry looks good. Is it spicy? I want the chicken curry. Does it have a lot of chili? Tip: "A little spicy" in the US is usually quite mild. | ||
Your objective
Ask what’s in the dish, say one thing you can’t eat, and ask for it without that.
- what’s in it
- what you can’t eat
- asking for it without
Lines that get it done
- What's in the house salad?
- I'm allergic to nuts.
- Can I get it without onions? · Please make it with no onions.
In the live scene the objective stays on screen, and the Replay afterwards says whether you got it done.
Check yourself
1. You want to know what food is in the house salad. What do you say?
- What's in the house salad?
- Where's the house salad?
- What's the house salad for?
- Who has the house salad?
Show the answer
What's in the house salad?
"What's in...?" asks about the food inside a dish.
2. Nuts make you very sick. What do you tell the server?
- I'm allergic to nuts.
- I don't like nuts very much.
- I'm allergy of nuts.
- Nuts are allergic to me.
Show the answer
I'm allergic to nuts.
"I'm allergic to..." tells the server a food is dangerous for you.
3. You want the burger, but no onions on it. What do you say?
- Can I get it without onions?
- Can I get onions without it?
- Can I get it with onions?
- Can I get only onions?
Show the answer
Can I get it without onions?
"Without" means "with no". The server will leave the onions off.