Chez comes from the Latin word for “house”, casa. So chez moi literally means something like “at the house of me”, but in practice it simply means “at my place”. However, chez is not limited to someone’s home. Depending on what follows it, it can also refer to a person’s country, body, character, profession, culture or body of work.

Grammar: chez + a person

Chez is always followed by a person, whether that is a stressed pronoun, a name, a profession or a group of people. With the stressed pronouns, the full set is:

• Chez moi – “at my place”
• Chez toi – “at your place”
• Chez lui – “at his place”
• Chez elle – “at her place”
• Chez nous – “at our place”
• Chez vous – “at your place”
• Chez eux – “at their (masculine or mixed) place”
• Chez elles – “at their (100% feminine) place”
• Chez soi – “at one’s own place”

The home

This is the most common and basic use of chez, describing someone’s house, flat or place of residence.

• Je rentre chez moi. – “I’m going home.”
• Viens chez moi ce soir. – “Come to my place tonight.”
• Il habite chez ses parents. – “He lives at his parents’ place.”
• Elle a laissé ses clés chez toi. – “She left her keys at your place.”

The country or homeland

Chez also stretches to cover someone’s home country, not just their house, often used to contrast one’s own country with somewhere else.

• En Allemagne, on aime la bière, mais chez nous, on préfère le vin. – “In Germany they love beer, but back home we prefer wine.”
• En Angleterre, on conduit à gauche, mais chez nous, on conduit à droite. – “In England, they drive on the left, but where we’re from we drive on the right.”
• En Chine, le riz est à la base de chaque repas, chez nous c’est plutôt le pain. – “In China, rice is the basis of every meal, back home it’s more likely to be bread.”

The body, in medical and scientific writing

In medical, scientific and academic French, chez followed by a person or group means “in” them, in the sense of something occurring within their body. This use is common in describing symptoms, reactions or behaviour.

• Ce virus est fréquent chez les enfants. – “This virus is common in children.”
• Chez certains patients, ce médicament cause des nausées. – “In some patients, this medication causes nausea.”
• Cette réaction est rare chez l’adulte. – “This reaction is rare in adults.”
• Le stress agit différemment chez chaque personne. – “Stress acts differently in each person.”

A personal trait or characteristic

Chez can point to something as being part of a person’s character or nature, rather than a place or a body.

• C’est chez lui une habitude. – “That’s a habit of his.”
• Chez elle, la patience est naturelle. – “Patience comes naturally to her.”
• La curiosité, c’est chez lui depuis toujours. – “Curiosity has always been part of him.”

A professional’s premises

Chez followed by a profession refers to that person’s workplace or business, not their home.

• J’ai rendez-vous chez le dentiste. – “I have an appointment at the dentist’s.”
• Elle va chez le coiffeur samedi. – “She’s going to the hairdresser’s on Saturday.”
• On achète le pain chez le boulanger. – “We buy bread at the baker’s.”

A group or culture

Chez followed by a nationality, species or group means “among” them, describing a habit or trait shared within that group.

• Chez les Français, le déjeuner est un moment important. – “Among the French, lunch is an important moment.”
• Cette coutume existe chez plusieurs peuples. – “This custom exists among several peoples.”
• Chez les oiseaux, le chant a plusieurs fonctions. – “Among birds, song has several functions.”

An author’s or artist’s work

Chez followed by the name of a writer, thinker or artist means “in the work of” that person.

• Chez Molière, le rire cache souvent une critique sociale. – “In Molière’s work, laughter often hides social criticism.”
• On retrouve ce thème chez plusieurs écrivains. – “This theme appears in the work of several writers.”

Synonyms and alternative expressions

Depending on which meaning of chez is intended, a different phrase may work better in a given sentence.

• À la maison – “at home”
• Au pays – “back home” (country)
• Au sein de – “within”
• Dans le cabinet de – “at the office of” (a professional)
• Dans le corps de – “in the body of”
• De nature – “by nature”
• De tempérament – “by temperament”

Summary

Chez moi and its related forms literally mean “at my place”, but the phrase covers far more than housing. It can refer to someone’s home, their home country, their body in a medical or scientific sense, a trait of their character, their workplace, a group or culture they belong to, or the body of work of a writer or artist. The meaning depends entirely on what follows chez, whether that is a pronoun, a name, a profession or a group.