German Phrase
Ist das glutenfrei?
Meaning
The sentence asks whether a particular food item or dish is free of gluten. It is a direct, polite way to check for gluten content, especially useful for people with celiac disease or gluten intolerance.
When to use
Use this phrase in restaurants, cafés, bakeries, or grocery stores when you want to confirm that a product does not contain gluten. It works for both packaged items (pointing at a label) and freshly prepared dishes.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Istdasglutenfrei?
Verb 'sein' (Ist)
‘Ist’ is the 3rd person singular present form of the verb ‘sein’ (to be) and is used for statements and questions about a single item.
Demonstrative pronoun (das)
‘das’ points to a specific neuter noun (e.g., ‘das Brot’, ‘das Gericht’) and works as the subject of the sentence.
Predicative adjective (glutenfrei)
‘glutenfrei’ is an adjective used predicatively, so it stays in its base form without any ending.
🗨In Conversation
Ist das glutenfrei?
Is this gluten‑free?
Ja, es ist glutenfrei. Wir verwenden reines Mehl ohne Gluten.
Yes, it is gluten‑free. We use pure flour without gluten.
✕Common Mistakes
Ist das Glutenfrei?
Adjectives are not capitalized in German unless they start a sentence.
Ist das glutenfrei?
If you refer to a plural item, use ‘sind die … glutenfrei?’ instead of ‘ist das …’.
↔Alternatives
Ist das ohne Gluten?
Is this without gluten?
Enthält das Gluten?
Does this contain gluten?
Gibt es eine glutenfreie Variante?
Is there a gluten‑free version?
Cultural Tip
In Germany, the term ‘glutenfrei’ is regulated by the EU food‑labeling law. Products labeled as ‘glutenfrei’ must contain less than 20 mg of gluten per kilogram. When ordering in a restaurant, it’s polite to ask the staff how the dish is prepared, because cross‑contamination can still occur even if the ingredients are gluten‑free.