"Chef" is masculine in German — the correct article is der. The plural is die Chefs. In English, Chef means "boss" (not "chef/cook" — that's der Koch). The female form is die Chefin (plural: die Chefinnen)."Der Chef" is an important work and business vocabulary word at A2–B1 level. Be careful: in German, "Chef" means "boss" — not "chef" or "cook" (that's der Koch). This is one of the most common false friends between German and English. Below you'll find the full declension, example sentences, and a quiz.
Gender rule: "Chef" is a French loanword and refers to a male person in a leadership position — male persons are generally masculine. The -s plural is typical for French and English loanwords in German. See all patterns in the German Article Rules.
Chef — Declension Table
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | der Chef | die Chefs |
| Genitive | des Chefs | der Chefs |
| Dative | dem Chef | den Chefs |
| Accusative | den Chef | die Chefs |
Example Sentences with Chef
Der Chef hat heute gute Laune.
(The boss is in a good mood today.) — Nominative
Ich muss den Chef um Erlaubnis fragen.
(I have to ask the boss for permission.) — Accusative
Der Kollege erklärt dem Chef das Problem.
(The colleague explains the problem to the boss.) — Dative
Das Büro des Chefs ist im dritten Stock.
(The boss's office is on the third floor.) — Genitive
Die Chefs der verschiedenen Abteilungen treffen sich um 10 Uhr.
(The bosses of the different departments are meeting at 10 o'clock.) — Nominative Plural
Die Mitarbeiter haben den Chefs die Ergebnisse präsentiert.
(The employees presented the results to the bosses.) — Dative Plural
Related Words & Compounds
Word family (Wortfamilie): die Chefin (female boss), der Koch (cook/chef — the actual meaning of "chef" in English!), der Vorgesetzte (superior — formal), der Leiter (head/director)
Common compounds (Komposita): der Chefkoch (head chef), die Chefetage (executive floor), der Chefarzt (chief physician), der Chefredakteur (editor-in-chief), die Chefsekretärin (executive secretary)
Common Mistake with Chef
❌ Common mistake: "Der Chef kocht das Essen." (meaning: The chef cooks the food.)
✅ Correct: "Der Koch kocht das Essen." (The chef/cook cooks the food.)
💡 Why: In German, Chef = boss, not cook. The English word "chef" translates to der Koch in German. "Der Chef kocht das Essen" is grammatically correct but means "the boss cooks the food" — which is a very different meaning. This is one of the most famous false friends between German and English.
Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge
Can you get all three right? Apply what you've learned above.
1. ___ Chef ist heute nicht im Büro.
- A) Die
- B) Das
- C) Der
Check Answer
"Der Chef" — Male persons in leadership positions are masculine. In the nominative, the article is der.
2. Ich schreibe ___ Chef eine E-Mail.
- A) den Chef
- B) dem Chef
- C) der Chef
Check Answer
"Schreiben" with a person requires a dative object (to whom?). Masculine dative = dem: dem Chef.
3. Wir haben einen streng___ Chef.
- A) -e
- B) -er
- C) -en
Check Answer
After an indefinite article in the accusative masculine, the adjective ending is -en: einen strengen Chef. Masculine accusative is the one case where ein changes to einen, and the adjective always takes -en.
Want to practice more nouns like this? The Article Trainer has 600+ nouns — including work vocabulary and common loanwords.
More Work & People Nouns
- der Kollege — the colleague
- der Mann — the man
- die Frau — the woman
- der Mitarbeiter — the employee
- der Kunde — the customer
- der Praktikant — the intern
- das Büro — the office
- der Beruf — the profession
For more work-related vocabulary, explore the Business German vocabulary list or browse the full vocabulary overview.
Is it der, die, or das Chef? Practice makes perfect.
The Article Trainer gives you 600+ nouns to drill — including work vocabulary and common loanwords. Pick the article, get instant feedback, and stop guessing.
Practice German Articles →Frequently Asked Questions
Is Chef masculine, feminine, or neuter in German?
Chef is masculine — the correct article is der. The female form is die Chefin (plural: die Chefinnen). In informal spoken German, you'll sometimes hear "die Chef" used for a female boss, but this is grammatically incorrect — always use die Chefin. See all gender rules in the Article Rules.
What is the plural of Chef?
The plural is die Chefs — with an -s, typical for French loanwords in German. The same -s plural applies to other loanwords: das Baby → die Babys, das Hotel → die Hotels, das Büro → die Büros.
Does Chef mean "boss" or "chef" in German?
Chef means "boss" in German — not "chef" or "cook." This is a famous false friend. The English word "chef" (a professional cook) translates to der Koch (female: die Köchin) in German. Interestingly, the compound der Chefkoch means "head chef" — combining both meanings.
What is the difference between Chef and Vorgesetzter?
Der Chef is informal and commonly used in everyday conversation for any boss or manager. Der/die Vorgesetzte is the formal, official term meaning "superior" — used more in contracts, HR contexts, and official communication. Both refer to someone above you in the hierarchy, but Chef is much more common in daily speech.
