187 - How to Use ‘Chez’ (At Someone’s Place) in French
In this episode, you’ll learn how to use the word 'chez' (at someone's place) in French.
After the lesson, head over to the French Made Easy Exercise Library to practice!
Listen to the episode on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
Transcript
Bonjour à tous, hello everyone, and welcome back to the French Made Easy podcast.
This is episode 187, numéro cent quatre‑vingt‑sept.
Today, we’re talking about the little word chez, because many beginners find this little word tricky. So we’ll go over how to use it. 😊
Before we start, if you’re new to the podcast, welcome!
Make sure you have your lesson’s cheat sheet handy so you can see the spelling of the words while you listen. And when you’re done, head to the French Made Easy Exercise Library to download your free exercises and practise what you’ve learned.
Everything is linked in the episode notes — and it’s free. 🗝️
Alright, let’s get into it!
WHAT DOES ‘CHEZ’ MEAN?
The word ‘chez’ is a preposition.
It means:“at someone’s place” (or “to someone’s place” when you’re going there).
We use it when we talk about:
being at someone’s home or going there
being at someone’s shop, office, or workplace or going there
Let me give you a few ways to use chez.
🏡 1. Chez + [a person’s name]
We use it when we talk about being at a specific person’s house, or going there.
Je suis chez Marie. (I am at Marie’s house.)
Ce soir, on va manger chez Bastien. (Tonight, we’re going to eat at Bastien’s place.)
👩⚕️ 2. Chez + [a profession]
This is how we say we’re going to a professional’s place of work — like their office, their shop, or their salon.
Je vais chez le médecin. (I’m going to the doctor’s.)
Elle achète sa baguette chez le boulanger. (She’s buying her baguette at the baker’s.)
Something important:
Chez is about the person, not just the shop or the place.
That’s why you can say:
Elle achète sa baguette chez le boulanger.
…but you can’t say ❌ Elle achète sa baguette chez la boulangerie.
Chez le boulanger is technically “at the baker’s shop,” while à la boulangerie means “the bakery — the place.”
Another example:
Je vais chez le pharmacien. (I’m going to the pharmacist’s)
…but you don’t say ❌ Je vais chez la pharmacie. Instead, you say:
Je vais à la pharmacie. (I’m going to the pharmacy — the place.)
You might wonder: do I need to use “chez le boulanger” (at the baker’s) or “à la boulangerie” (at the bakery)?
Both are fine to use. You’ll hear both in everyday French — just remember that ‘chez’ points to the person, and ‘à’ points to the place.
👥 3. Chez + [a pronoun]
This is how we say things like at my place, at your place, at their place, etc.
Viens chez moi. (Come to my place.)
On dîne chez eux. (We’re having dinner at their place.)
The pronouns we use here are stressed pronouns: moi, toi, lui, elle, nous, vous, eux, elles.
I also have an episode on stressed pronouns, it’s episode 69 if you want to go back and review them.
🏢 4. Chez + [a company]
We also use chez when talking about someone working for or being at a company.
Il travaille chez Google. (He works at Google.)
Elle est chez L’Oréal. (She’s at L’Oréal.)
A common mistake to avoid:
❌ Don’t use chez for public places.
Don’t say chez le supermarché — instead, say au supermarché.
Think of it this way:
If there’s a person or profession involved → use chez.
If it’s just a public place (like a supermarket, school, park, bank, train station…) → use “à” with a definite article(à, à la, au, aux…).
For example: au supermarché, à l’école, au parc, à la banque, à la gare, etc.
🔁 Quick Recap
✔️ Chez means at someone’s place or to someone’s place.
✔️ Use it with:
Names (chez Marie)
Professions (chez le médecin)
Pronouns (chez moi)
Companies (chez Google)
❌ Don’t use chez with public places like le supermarché or la gare.
That’s it for today! Now you know how to use chez — one small word, but super useful in French.
Don’t forget to head over to the French Made Easy Exercise Library to practise what you’ve learned.
Merci for listening — and I’ll see you next week for another French Made Easy lesson.