Bien utiliser chez et au en français

What does “chez le coiffeur” mean in French?

In French, “chez” means “to” or “at” a person’s place. There is no single English word for it. Use “chez” before a person, a first name, or a job title: “chez le coiffeur” (to the hairdresser’s), “chez le médecin” (to the doctor’s), “chez Henri” (at Henri’s). For a building or shop, use “à”, “au”, or “à la”: “au cinéma”, “au salon de coiffure”. Simple rule: person → “chez”; place → “au”.

In the clip the teacher opens with a correction: “Confondre au et chez en français est une erreur très fréquente” — “Mixing up 'au' and 'chez' in French is a very common mistake.” She says even many native speakers get it wrong. Her key example: “Je vais chez le coiffeur, mais je vais au salon de coiffure” (I go to the hairdresser’s, but I go to the hair salon). The same split appears with “chez le médecin” vs “au cabinet médical” (to the doctor vs to the doctor’s office) and “chez le poissonnier” vs “à la poissonnerie” (to the fish seller vs to the fish shop). The word “chez” comes from the Latin “casa”, meaning house. Note: in casual speech you may hear “je vais au coiffeur”, but “chez le coiffeur” is the standard form. Two useful everyday lines from the clip: “J’ai rendez-vous chez des amis” (I have plans at some friends' place) and “On se retrouve chez Henri” (Let’s meet at Henri’s).