The French preposition chez (pronounced ʃe or “shay”) means to be in or at the home, residence or at a place of business. Je suis chez moi translates to “I am at home”. This article will cover the many uses of chez in detail with example sentences and audio. Keep reading to learn more!
Je suis chez moi.
I am at home.
Chez meaning in French
The French preposition chez can appear in several different kinds of sentences. In all of these sentences, the underlying meaning is “at the place of”.
Chez meaning “at the home of”
When preceding a person’s name, the translation of chez is: “To be at xyz person’s home”. This is the most common usage of chez in the French language.
Julien est chez Marie.
Julien is at Marie’s house.
The preposition chez can also precede a stressed pronoun to mean “at his house”, “at her house”, etc. Here are the combinations:
The following are example sentences of chez + stressed pronoun:
Je dîne chez toi.
I’m having dinner at your house.
- Chez moi at my house
- Chez toi at your house (singular, informal)
- Chez lui at his house
- Chez elle at her house
- Chez soi at one’s house
- Chez nous at our house
- Chez vous at your house (plural, formal)
- Chez eux at their house
- Chez elle at their house (female only)
In one’s region or country
The preposition chez can also mean in one’s region or country.
Il fait beau chez nous.
It is nice weather out in our region (or country).
Chez nous on mange avec des baguettes.
People eat with chopsticks in our country.
Used to refer to businesses
The French use chez to express going to specific businesses.
Je vais chez le médecin.
I’m doing to the doctor’s office.
Elle va chez le dentiste.
She’s going to the dentist.
Used with company names
Chez can also be used to refer to ‘at a certain company’. For example:
Elle travaille chez Apple.
She works for Apple.
Chez Samsung, vous trouverez des téléphones portables haut de gamme.
You’ll find high-end mobile phones at Samsung.
Describing personalities
A less common usage of chez is associated with describing people personalities.
Chez cet homme, tout est égoïste.
With this man, everything is selfish.
C’est la folie chez les enfants.
Kids are crazy.
Generalizations about group
Chez can be use to make broad generalizations of groups.
Il y a beaucoup de problèmes chez les adolescents.
Adolescents have a lot of issues.
Reference to artists
Chez can also be used to make reference to an artist’s work.
J’aime les couleurs vives chez Monet.
I like Monet’s vibrant colors.
Chez with restaurants
Many French restaurants use chez in their names. The restaurant name is often the name of the founder or head chef.
Je dîne Chez Pierre.
I’m going out to eat at Chez Pierre.
Common mistake with chez
In French there are two ways to say, ‘At my house’: chez moi and à la masion. Hence, to say, ‘I’m at home’, there are two options:
- Je suis chez moi. I am home.
- Je suis à la maison. I am home.
You cannot say, ‘Je suis à chez moi’ in French.
Expressions with chez
Chez can also be found in several French expressions.
- Rien ne vaut son chez-soi. There’s no place like home.
- Faites comme chez vous (formal) make yourself at home
- Fais comme chez toi (informal) make yourself at home
- Ton petit chez-toi you little place, home
- Bien de chez nous typically French
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