Going to 'the doctor's', 'the baker's' and 'the vet's' with 'chez'
In English you go to the doctor's, to the hairdresser's or to the baker's. That little 's hides a word: the doctor's surgery, the hairdresser's salon. French does something similar but more visibly. It uses chez, which means roughly at the place of, followed directly by the person: chez le médecin, chez le dentiste, chez le coiffeur.
English speakers often reach for à because it means to or at, and they produce au médecin or au dentiste. French speakers never say this. Whenever the destination is a person and their work, you need chez.
Word list
dentisteA1dentistchez le dentiste = to the dentist'sdocteurmA1doctorchez le docteur = to the doctor'smédecinmA1doctorchez le médecin = to the doctor'sarchitecteA2architectchez l'architecte = to the architect'savocatmA2lawyerchez l'avocat = to the lawyer'savocatefA2lawyerchez l'avocate = to the lawyer'sboulangermA2bakerchez le boulanger = to the baker'sboulangèrefA2bakerchez la boulangère = to the baker'scoiffeurmA2hairdresserchez le coiffeur = to the hairdresser'scoiffeusefA2hairdresserchez la coiffeuse = to the hairdresser'sfermiermA2farmerchez le fermier = to the farmer'sinfirmiermA2nursechez l'infirmier = to the nurse'sinfirmièrefA2nursechez l'infirmière = to the nurse'sphotographeA2photographerchez le photographe = to the photographer'sbarbiermB1barberchez le barbier = to the barber'sbouchermB1butcherchez le boucher = to the butcher'sbouchèrefB1butcherchez la bouchère = to the butcher'scomptableB1accountantchez le comptable = to the accountant'sgénéralisteB1general practitionerchez le généraliste = to the GP'smarchandmB1merchantchez le marchand = to the merchant'smécanicienmB1mechanicchez le mécanicien = to the mechanic'smécaniciennefB1mechanicchez la mécanicienne = to the mechanic'smédecin de famillemB1general practitionerchez le médecin de famille = to the family doctor'smédecin généralisteB1general practitionerchez le médecin généraliste = to the GP'spharmacienmB1pharmacistchez le pharmacien = to the pharmacist'spharmaciennefB1pharmacistchez la pharmacienne = to the pharmacist'svétérinaireB1vetchez le vétérinaire = to the vet'sbanquiermB2bankerchez le banquier = to the banker'sbanquièrefB2bankerchez la banquière = to the banker'schirurgienmB2surgeonchez le chirurgien = to the surgeon'scordonniermB2shoemakerchez le cordonnier = to the shoemaker'scordonnièrefB2shoemakerchez la cordonnière = to the shoemaker'scouturiermB2fashion designerchez le couturier = to the fashion designer'scouturièrefB2seamstresschez la couturière = to the seamstress'sdiseuse de bonne aventurefB2fortune tellerchez la diseuse de bonne aventure = to the fortune teller'sfleuristeB2floristchez le fleuriste = to the florist'sforgeronmB2blacksmithchez le forgeron = to the blacksmith'spsychologueB2psychologistchez le psychologue = to the psychologist'sserruriermB2locksmithchez le serrurier = to the locksmith'sserrurièrefB2locksmithchez la serrurière = to the locksmith'stailleurmB2tailorchez le tailleur = to the tailor'stoubibmB2doctorchez le toubib = to the doctor'svétoB2vetchez le véto = to the vet'svoyantmB2fortune tellerchez le voyant = to the fortune teller'svoyantefB2fortune tellerchez la voyante = to the fortune teller'sagent immobiliermC1realtorchez l'agent immobilier = to the realtor'sbijoutiermC1jewelerchez le bijoutier = to the jeweler'sbijoutièrefC1jewelerchez la bijoutière = to the jeweler'sjoailliermC1jewelerchez le joaillier = to the jeweler'sjoaillièrefC1jewelerchez la joaillière = to the jeweler'spsychiatreC1psychiatristchez le psychiatre = to the psychiatrist'ssage-femmefC2midwifechez la sage-femme = to the midwife'statoueurmC2tattoo artistchez le tatoueur = to the tattoo artist's
How it works
The construction is simple: chez + article + profession. The article can be le, la, l', un, une or a possessive such as mon or son. Chez never changes, and it never contracts with the article, so you say chez le, never a combined form.
It works with verbs of movement (aller, passer, emmener) and with verbs of being (être, avoir rendez-vous). The same phrase covers both to and at, so you don't need to choose.
Je vais chez le médecin cet après-midi.
(I'm going to the doctor's this afternoon.)
Elle a rendez-vous chez le dentiste.
(She has a dentist's appointment.)
The rule of thumb: if you name the person, use chez. If you name the shop or building, use à. Many shops have both a person word and a place word, and the preposition follows whichever one you pick.
Je vais chez le coiffeur, puis à la boulangerie.
(I'm going to the hairdresser's, then to the bakery.)
The words
Health and care
For doctors you have médecin (neutral), docteur (everyday) and toubib (slang). Add dentiste, chirurgien, psychologue and psychiatre. For animals, it's vétérinaire or the familiar véto. The pharmacist, pharmacien or pharmacienne, also takes chez.
Mon fils est chez le toubib.
(My son is at the doctor's.)
Elle va chez un psychologue depuis un an.
(She has been seeing a psychologist for a year.)
J'emmène mon chat chez le vétérinaire demain.
(I'm taking my cat to the vet's tomorrow.)
Je dois passer chez la pharmacienne.
(I need to pop into the pharmacist's.)
Food and shops
Food shops work the same way: boulanger and boulangère, boucher and bouchère, fleuriste, and less often bijoutier and bijoutière. You'll also hear épicier and pâtissier.
Tu passes chez le boulanger ce matin ?
(Are you stopping at the baker's this morning?)
On achète la viande chez le boucher.
(We buy our meat at the butcher's.)
Services and trades
This group covers coiffeur and coiffeuse, barbier, tailleur, couturière, cordonnier and cordonnière, mécanicien and mécanicienne, photographe, and avocat and avocate.
J'ai laissé mes chaussures chez le cordonnier.
(I left my shoes at the cobbler's.)
Il a rendez-vous chez son avocat lundi.
(He has an appointment with his lawyer on Monday.)
Watch out
The typical mistake is au médecin or au coiffeur. Both are wrong. The opposite mistake happens too: with a place noun, chez is wrong, so don't say chez la pharmacie. Compare the pairs chez le boulanger and à la boulangerie, chez le pharmacien and à la pharmacie, and chez le libraire and à la librairie.
Je suis à la pharmacie, j'arrive dans dix minutes.
(I'm at the pharmacy, I'll be there in ten minutes.)
Before a vowel, the article shortens: chez l'avocat, chez l'ophtalmologue. The phrase stays exactly the same otherwise.
Finally, chez has a second everyday use: at someone's home. Chez moi means at my place, and chez Paul means at Paul's. This is the same idea, the place belonging to a person, but here the person is a friend rather than a professional.
Ce soir, on mange chez moi.
(Tonight we're eating at my place.)
Summary
When English says the doctor's, the baker's or the vet's, French says chez + the person: chez le médecin, chez le boulanger, chez le véto. Use chez when you name the professional and à when you name the shop or building, as in à la boulangerie or à la pharmacie. Never say au médecin.
Going to 'the doctor's', 'the baker's' and 'the vet's' with 'chez'