"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).
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.
"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.
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)
Synonyms (Synonyme): 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.
