The awkward moment: the waiter speaks no English, you speak none of their language, and you need to explain that you do not eat pork and want no alcohol in the sauce. The fix is simple — don't speak, show. Here are the four sentences that solve 95% of situations, written in twelve languages.
How to use it
Save this page to your notebook (button below): it stays readable with no signal at all. At the restaurant, just turn your screen towards the waiter. It is faster, clearer and more polite than an approximate exchange — and nobody is embarrassed.
Two tips: show the sentence before ordering, not after; and a smile covers the rest.
The 4 sentences
1. I'm Muslim, I don't eat pork.
2. No alcohol please — no wine in the sauce.
3. Is this halal?
4. Does this contain pork?
🇫🇷 French
1. Je suis musulman / musulmane, je ne mange pas de porc.
2. Sans alcool, s'il vous plaît — pas de vin dans la sauce.
3. Est-ce que c'est halal ?
4. Est-ce qu'il y a du porc dedans ?
🇪🇸 Spanish
1. Soy musulmán / musulmana, no como cerdo.
2. Sin alcohol, por favor — sin vino en la salsa.
3. ¿Esto es halal?
4. ¿Lleva cerdo?
🇵🇹 Portuguese
1. Sou muçulmano / muçulmana, não como carne de porco.
2. Sem álcool, por favor — sem vinho no molho.
3. Isto é halal?
4. Tem carne de porco?
🇮🇹 Italian
1. Sono musulmano / musulmana, non mangio maiale.
2. Senza alcol, per favore — niente vino nella salsa.
3. È halal?
4. C'è maiale?
🇩🇪 German
1. Ich bin Muslim / Muslima, ich esse kein Schweinefleisch.
2. Ohne Alkohol, bitte — kein Wein in der Soße.
3. Ist das halal?
4. Ist da Schweinefleisch drin?
🇳🇱 Dutch
1. Ik ben moslim, ik eet geen varkensvlees.
2. Zonder alcohol, alstublieft — geen wijn in de saus.
3. Is dit halal?
4. Zit er varkensvlees in?
🇵🇱 Polish
1. Jestem muzułmaninem / muzułmanką, nie jem wieprzowiny.
2. Bez alkoholu, proszę — bez wina w sosie.
3. Czy to jest halal?
4. Czy jest tam wieprzowina?
🇬🇷 Greek
1. Είμαι μουσουλμάνος / μουσουλμάνα, δεν τρώω χοιρινό.
2. Χωρίς αλκοόλ, παρακαλώ.
3. Είναι χαλάλ;
4. Έχει χοιρινό;
🇹🇷 Turkish
1. Müslümanım, domuz eti yemiyorum.
2. Alkolsüz olsun lütfen.
3. Bu helal mi?
4. İçinde domuz eti var mı?
🇯🇵 Japanese
1. イスラム教徒です。豚肉は食べられません。
2. お酒は入れないでください。
3. これはハラルですか？
4. 豚肉は入っていますか？
🇨🇳 Chinese (Mandarin)
Worth knowing: the word used in China for halal is 清真 (qīngzhēn) — look for it on shopfronts, it marks Hui Muslim restaurants.
1. 我是穆斯林，我不吃猪肉。
2. 请不要放酒。
3. 这是清真的吗？
4. 里面有猪肉吗？
🇹🇭 Thai
1. ผมเป็นมุสลิม ไม่กินหมู (women: ดิฉันเป็นมุสลิม ไม่กินหมู)
2. ไม่ใส่แอลกอฮอล์
3. อันนี้ฮาลาลไหม
4. มีหมูไหม
Words worth recognising on a menu
Even without the language, these words are worth knowing because they signal pork: bacon, ham, lard, chorizo, pancetta, prosciutto, speck, Schinken, jamón, presunto, 猪肉, 豚肉, หมู. And for alcohol in the cooking: wine, marsala, cognac, sake, mirin, beer batter, Weißwein, vino.
FAQ
Should I pronounce it or show it? Show it. Approximate pronunciation creates more confusion than it solves, especially in Thai, Chinese and Japanese where tone changes meaning.
What if the waiter says yes without understanding? That is the real risk. Cross-check on the ground: see the 7 checks to make.
Does it work offline? Yes, if you save the page to your notebook using the button on this page.
And if there is no halal address at all? See the survival guide.
Help the community
A language is missing, or a better wording exists in your country? Tell us — this card will serve thousands of travellers. → Join the community