The phrase to learn abroad is not “gluten free”, it is “I have coeliac disease”. In most countries the name of the disease triggers precautions that the word gluten alone does not. Here is that phrase in 14 languages, the questions that sort a kitchen out, and the words that mislead.

Every foreign phrase comes either from one of our city or country guides, where it was checked, or from a card published by a national coeliac society. For three languages we found no verified sentence, so we give only the key words. Languages for which we found no reliable source at all, such as Japanese, are left out.

Why “coeliac” rather than “gluten free”

“Gluten free” has become a menu word, sometimes a fashion. A waiter who hears it may understand a preference: the bread comes off, the sauce stays, and the dish goes through the same fryer as the battered fish. Our guides see this in very different countries: in Antwerp, “glutenvrij” on its own can pass for a preference; in Canada, “I’m gluten-free” is heard as a choice while “I have celiac disease” triggers real precautions.

The name of the disease changes the conversation. In Italy, where coeliac disease is screened for early and widely known, “sono celiaco” never gets a blank look. In Argentina, “soy celíaco” gets a knowing nod.

Avoid “gluten intolerance” too. It is common, even on some translation cards, but it suggests digestive discomfort rather than an autoimmune disease in which a trace matters.

What triggers precautions

The name of the disease

  • "I have coeliac disease"
  • "Sono celiaco", "Soy celíaco"
  • "Ich habe Zöliakie"
  • Followed by a question about the kitchen

What can sound like a choice

The diet alone

  • "I'm gluten free"
  • "Glutenvrij", "senza glutine" on their own
  • "No gluten, please"
  • "Gluten intolerance"

Your coeliac translation card: the phrase in each language

Language The phrase The word to look for on menus
Spanish Soy celíaco / celíaca. ¿Es apto para celíacos? sin gluten, apto celíacos; in Argentina sin TACC
Italian Sono celiaco / celiaca senza glutine
Portuguese Sou celíaco / celíaca — isto tem glúten? sem glúten
French Je suis cœliaque sans gluten
German Ich habe Zöliakie — ist das glutenfrei? glutenfrei
Dutch Ik heb coeliakie glutenvrij
Polish Mam celiakię — czy to zawiera gluten? bezglutenowy
Greek Έχω χρόνια κοιλιοκάκη (I have chronic coeliac disease) γλουτένη (gluten)
Danish Jeg har den kroniske sygdom cøliaki glutenfri
Swedish Jag har celiaki glutenfri
English (US, Canada) I have celiac disease gluten free, dedicated
Catalan key words: celíac / celíaca, sense gluten sense gluten
Croatian key words: celijakija (coeliac disease), bezglutenski (gluten free) bezglutenski
Turkish key words: çölyak (coeliac disease), glutensiz (gluten free) glutensiz

Sources: our guides to Italy, Spain, Argentina, Portugal, Brazil, Germany, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada and Poland; the Danish Coeliac Society’s cards for Greek and Danish; the websites of the Swedish, Catalan, Croatian and Turkish associations for key words.

In Catalonia, Spanish “sin gluten” is understood everywhere; the Catalan “sense gluten” mostly helps you read menus and shop windows.

The questions to ask the kitchen

The phrase opens the conversation; the questions do the sorting. They are the three from our article on eating out with coeliac disease, in the languages where our guides have checked them.

Is the whole kitchen gluten free?

  • German: Ist die Küche komplett glutenfrei?
  • Dutch: Is de keuken volledig glutenvrij?
  • Polish: Czy kuchnia jest w całości bezglutenowa?
  • Italian: La cucina è completamente senza glutine?

Is the fryer shared?

  • Spanish: ¿La freidora es compartida?
  • Portuguese: A fritadeira é partilhada?
  • English: Is it cooked in a separate fryer? — the question that matters in a British chip shop.

Is there a risk of contamination, or wheat flour?

  • Italian: C’è rischio di contaminazione?
  • Spanish: ¿Hay riesgo de contaminación cruzada? or simply ¿Lleva harina?
  • Portuguese: Tem farinha de trigo?; in Brazil, Tem risco de contaminação cruzada?
  • German: Enthält das Weizen?
  • Polish: Bez pszenicy, żyta i jęczmienia (no wheat, rye or barley), if the word gluten does not land.

The answer to the first question outweighs the others. A fully dedicated kitchen settles the fryer, the flour and the chopping board in one go; our article on dedicated kitchens versus gluten free options explains the difference.

The words that mislead

“Senza glutine” on an Italian menu can mean a naturally gluten free dish cooked in a mixed kitchen. The AIC logo in the window, by contrast, marks a place in the network checked by the Italian coeliac society.

“Sin gluten” and “apto para celíacos” are not interchangeable: the second explicitly refers to the disease, and it is the one our Spanish guides tell you to ask for. In Argentina, “Sin TACC” (without wheat, oats, barley, rye) is the official mark on packaged food.

“Não contém glúten” in Brazil is a mandatory legal statement on packaging, not a promise about a restaurant kitchen.

Oats. The Danish card asks for oats to be excluded, as does Argentina’s TACC mark. Elsewhere, certified oats may be allowed. Our article are oats gluten free? explains why countries disagree.

A translated card does not replace the kitchen’s answer. Showing the phrase is asking the question. If the waiter hesitates, does not know about the fryer or “thinks so”, treat the answer as a no.

Associations offer both. The Danish Coeliac Society publishes its card free in seven languages (Danish, English, German, French, Spanish, Italian, Greek), to show on your phone or print, and sells a credit-card-sized Danish-English version. The Swedish society gives members cards in around 40 languages in its app. Coeliac UK members should check what their own society currently offers.

Each format has its weak point. Phones run out of battery, and some people dislike handing their screen to a stranger. Paper gets lost. Safest: a printed card in your wallet and a screenshot on your phone that works offline. Our guide to flying gluten free gives the same advice for travel day.

A good card fits in four lines, modelled on the Danish one: I have coeliac disease; I get very ill if I eat gluten; I cannot eat wheat, rye or barley (or uncertified oats); please tell me what contains them and whether the food was prepared where gluten is present. And a thank you at the end, which costs nothing.

Country by country: the local marker

Country What helps on the ground
Italy The AIC logo in the window; well-stocked pharmacies
Spain FACE or regional association certification, such as Marca S in Catalonia
Argentina The “Sin TACC” mark; a gluten free option required in restaurants since 2015
Brazil The legal “contém / não contém glúten” statement on packaging
Portugal The word “celíaco”, widely spread by the APC
Germany, Switzerland “Glutenfrei” understood everywhere; in Switzerland, IG Zöliakie
Poland The national association’s “Menu bez glutenu” programme
UK Coeliac UK accreditation, and chains’ allergen matrices

Before you leave, find your addresses too: the Nutrixe map shows for every verified place whether it is fully dedicated, has a gluten free menu or only options, and what remains at risk. Often the best way to avoid needing the card at all.

In short

  • Say the name of the disease, not just “gluten free”: that is what triggers precautions.
  • 11 languages have a verified phrase here, 3 more have the key words.
  • Ask the three questions: dedicated kitchen, shared fryer, flour on site.
  • “Senza glutine”, “sin gluten”, “não contém glúten” say nothing about a restaurant’s kitchen.
  • Keep the card on paper and as a screenshot you can open offline.

The best phrase is still a good address. The fully dedicated places on the Nutrixe map do not need the fryer explained to them. Know one we are missing? Suggest it.