miketuan

[frail sonnet]

Please be patient

Our volunteers look into many questions every day; sometimes it takes them a little while to answer.

Pro tip: you can rename the thread title with `.tr <thread name>`

Make it descriptive, including relevant context, but also to the point. This way you improve your chances of getting a more relevant and specific answer.

[dense heron]

Why is there a literal meaning that’s fluent in a translation and applicable in all contexts?

I typically translate it as “at/to/from/(some fiting preposition) —’s place” or just as “at/to/from/(…) —’s”, like, “chez le boucher”

[wary spear]

chez moi is my home/house, yes

chez means "at the house of", basically

chez moi, my home/house (french doesnt have this distinction)

this man lives next door to me, i would say for the whole sentence

[dense heron]

I find these definitions useful, if you work through them and spend time with the examples: https://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/Chez

But like most/all prepositions, it has many meanings and idiomatic uses in various contexts. It helps to just make note of when you see it in context and let its meaning(s) become more and more familiar through exposure over time.

[fluid nova]

Literal translations don't always apply as Aaron and Basalt said. The French preposition « chez » does have its origins in denoting someone's residence but it's extended beyond that to denote something that resides or has origins with someone.

Searching for literal translations imply that you're also translating that language's logic into the target language, and the two logics often clash. You cannot literally translate « avoir raison » because English cannot use the verb 'to have' with a noun to denote a state, it would rather use the verb 'to be' plus an adjective:
« Tu as raison / You are right ».
You can't go, « You have reason / Tu es droit » since the logics don't translate.

[topaz furnace]

Another thing 'chez' can be company

Or Restaurant