Spanish Phrase
Me dan alergia los mariscos.
Meaning
The sentence means 'Seafood gives me an allergy' or more naturally, 'I am allergic to seafood.' It uses the construction 'dar + noun + a + person' to describe something that causes a reaction in someone.
When to use
Use this phrase when you need to tell a waiter, a friend, a doctor, or anyone else that you cannot eat seafood because it triggers an allergic reaction.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Medanalergialosmariscos
Me (indirect object pronoun)
Indicates to whom something is given or happens; here it shows the allergy affects the speaker.
dan (present of dar)
Third‑person plural of 'dar' used impersonally to express that something causes a reaction.
alergia (noun)
Feminine singular noun meaning 'allergy'.
los (definite article)
Plural masculine article that must agree with the noun 'mariscos'.
mariscos (noun)
Plural noun meaning 'seafood' (usually shellfish).
🗨In Conversation
¿Te gusta la paella?
Do you like paella?
No, me dan alergia los mariscos.
No, seafood gives me an allergy.
✕Common Mistakes
Me es alergia los mariscos.
The verb 'ser' is not used in this construction; you need the verb 'dar'.
Me dan alergia a los mariscos.
Adding an extra preposition 'a' after 'alergia' is redundant in the idiomatic phrase.
Me dan alergia mariscos.
The definite article 'los' must accompany 'mariscos' to keep the sentence grammatical.
↔Alternatives
Soy alérgico a los mariscos.
I am allergic to seafood.
Los mariscos me provocan alergia.
Seafood provokes an allergy in me.
Tengo alergia a los mariscos.
I have an allergy to seafood.
Cultural Tip
In many Spanish‑speaking countries the idiom 'dar alergia' is the most common way to talk about food allergies, even though you can also use 'ser alérgico/a' or 'tener alergia'. When ordering, you can say 'sin mariscos, por favor' to make sure the dish is prepared without any seafood. Note that 'mariscos' usually refers to shellfish; if you need to be specific, you can mention 'crustáceos' (crabs, shrimp) or 'moluscos' (clams, mussels).