Chez (at someone's place)

Using chez is like putting a person into a specific location box. In English, we usually add an "'s" to a name, like "at Mike's." In French, we put chez before the person. It functions as a preposition of place. It never changes its form. It doesn't care if the person is male, female, or a group. You just drop it in front of a name, a pronoun, or a professional title. It bridges the gap between a person and the physical space they occupy. It’s a bit like a grammar GPS that points specifically to humans. If there is a human involved in the location, your brain should scream chez! It’s one of the most stable rules in French. Honestly, if all French grammar were this loyal, we’d all be fluent by lunch.

1. 1Setting up a sentence with chez is a simple three-step process:
2. 2Start with your verb (like aller for going or être for being).
3. 3Place chez immediately after the verb or the object.
4. 4Add the person (a name, a stress pronoun, or a profession).
5. 5Let’s look at the combinations. You can use it with names: chez Marie. You can use it with stress pronouns: chez moi (at my place), chez toi (at your place), chez lui (at his place), or chez elles (at their place). You also use it with professional titles: chez le coiffeur (at the barber's) or chez le médecin (at the doctor's). Notice that for professionals, you still need the article le or la. It’s like saying "at the place of the doctor." Just remember: chez + Person = Location. It’s a simple math equation for your brain.

Use chez when the destination or location is a person’s home. This is the most common use. If you are going to your mom’s house, it’s chez ma mère. If you are staying at your own house, it’s chez moi. It’s also the standard way to talk about businesses named after people or professions. If you're at the baker’s, you’re chez le boulanger. In a modern context, you even use it for companies. If you work at Google, you might say je travaille chez Google. It implies you are part of that "house" or "family." You can even use it for authors or artists. If you are reading a book by Hugo, you are "finding a theme" chez Hugo. It means "within the works of." It’s surprisingly versatile for such a short word.

This is where many people trip up and do a face-palm later. Never use chez for geographical locations like cities or countries. You cannot go chez Paris unless Paris is the name of your eccentric best friend. For cities, use à. For countries, use en or au. Also, don't use chez for general buildings that aren't tied to a specific person's profession. You don't go chez la bibliothèque. That sounds like the library is a person you’re having coffee with. Use à la bibliothèque instead. Think of chez as a "People Only" club. If there isn't a human or a specific professional title involved, chez isn't invited to the party. Keep it strictly personal and you’ll avoid the most common beginner traps.

A classic blunder is trying to translate "at the house of" literally. Students often say à la maison de Pierre. While technically understandable, it’s clunky. It’s like wearing a tuxedo to a backyard BBQ. Just say chez Pierre. Another mistake is forgetting the stress pronoun. You can't say chez je. It has to be chez moi. Think of stress pronouns as the "cool" versions of pronouns that are allowed to hang out with prepositions. Also, watch out for the le/la with professions. People often say chez dentiste instead of chez le dentiste. The doctor worked hard for that degree; give them their article! Lastly, don’t use chez with maison in the same phrase. Chez ma maison is redundant. It’s like saying "at the place of my place of my house." Your French teacher's head might explode.

The big rival is the preposition à. Use à for destinations that are objects or places: à la banque, au cinéma, à l'école. These are institutions, not people. Use chez for people: chez le banquier, chez Paul. Think of à as the "Building Map" and chez as the "Contact List." If you can see the person's face in your mind when you think of the destination, use chez. Another contrast is dans. Use dans when you want to emphasize being *inside* a physical structure. Je suis dans la maison means you are physically within the walls. Je suis chez moi is more about the concept of "home." It's the difference between being inside a box and being in your own space.