Chez in French: meaning, uses and common mistakes

Chez means “at the home/place of” a person, family, professional or business: chez moi (“at my place”), chez Marie (“at Marie’s“), chez le médecin (“at the doctor’s“). It is followed by a person, pronoun, profession, company or group - not by an ordinary building. For a building, use à, au, dans or another place preposition.

Chez with people and homes

The most common use is someone’s home or personal place.

Je suis chez moi. Tu viens chez nous ce soir ?
I am at home. Are you coming to our place tonight?

The pronoun forms are fixed: chez moi, chez toi, chez lui, chez elle, chez nous, chez vous, chez eux, chez elles.

Chez with professionals and businesses

French also uses chez for a professional’s place or a business identified by the person or brand.

Je vais chez le médecin, puis chez le coiffeur.
I am going to the doctor’s, then to the hairdresser’s.

Elle travaille chez Renault.
She works at Renault.

The idea is still “at the place of” someone or an organization, not simply inside a physical building.

Chez with groups: “among”

Chez can also mean “among” when you talk about habits, culture or a group.

Chez les enfants, cette question est fréquente.
Among children, this question is common.

Chez les Français, le repas peut durer longtemps.
Among French people, the meal can last a long time.

This use is more abstract, but it still points to a group of people.

Chez vs à, au and dans

Use chez for a person or professional. Use à / au for a public place, and dans for being inside a space.

Common mistakes

Using chez before a building

Chez does not go before ordinary place nouns.

Je vais chez le restaurant. → Je vais au restaurant.
I am going to the restaurant.

Saying à moi for “at my place”

For “at my/your/his place”, use chez plus a stressed pronoun.

Je suis à moi. → Je suis chez moi.
I am at home / at my place.

Forgetting the professional use

English says “to the doctor’s“; French says chez le médecin.

J’ai rendez-vous chez le dentiste.
I have an appointment at the dentist’s.

Chez is part of the wider place-preposition system, but it deserves separate attention because English has no single matching word. After this, review French prepositions of place to connect chez with dans, sur, devant and à côté de. Fluera practices these in location sentences, so chez moi and chez le médecin become ready phrases. Try it when you practice French.

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