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PhrasesAt the RestaurantPosso avere questo piatto senza aglio?
A2formal

Posso avere questo piatto senza aglio?

Can I have this dish without garlic?

Pronunciation

A-glio — the 'gl' is a palatal lateral, like 'lli' in 'million'. Two syllables, stress on the first.

When to use it

When you want to modify a dish to remove a specific ingredient you dislike or are allergic to.

What it means

'Senza' means 'without'. You can replace 'aglio' with any ingredient: 'cipolla' (onion), 'peperoncino' (chilli), 'prezzemolo' (parsley), etc. Some modifications are easy; others may change the dish fundamentally.

Variations

È possibile non mettere la cipolla?

Is it possible to leave out the onion?

Alternative phrasing — 'non mettere' (not put in) is very natural

Potete prepararlo senza peperoncino?

Can you prepare it without chilli?

Specifying heat intolerance — common request in spicy regional dishes

Posso averlo senza formaggio?

Can I have it without cheese?

Useful for dairy-free requests or lactose intolerance

Mini Dialogue

— Posso avere questo piatto senza aglio? — Certo, lo dico subito in cucina. Ha un'allergia o è solo una preferenza? — Solo preferenza personale. — Nessun problema, ci pensa la cucina.

— Can I have this dish without garlic? — Of course, I'll let the kitchen know right away. Do you have an allergy or is it just a preference? — Just a personal preference. — No problem, the kitchen will take care of it.

Cultural Note

Modifications to Italian dishes are generally accepted with grace in tourist-friendly restaurants. However, in very traditional trattorias, asking to remove a key ingredient from a classic recipe (like garlic from aglio e olio) may get a surprised look — the recipe is the recipe.