Shops, trades and professions

Shops, trades and professions
Shops
In English you can say at the baker’s or at the baker’s shop ; in French the construction with chez (at the house or premises of…) is common but you can also use the name of the particular shop :
at the baker’s
= chez le boulanger or à la boulangerie
I’m going to the grocer’s
= je vais chez l’épicier or à l’épicerie
I bought it at the fishmonger’s
= je l’ai acheté chez le poissonnier or à la poissonnerie
go to the chemist’s
= va à la pharmacie or chez le pharmacien
at or to the hairdresser’s
= chez le coiffeur/la coiffeuse
to work in a butcher’s
= travailler dans une boucherie
Chez is also used with the names of professions :
at or to the doctor’s
= chez le médecin
at or to the lawyer’s
= chez le notaire
at or to the dentist’s
= chez le dentiste
Note that there are specific names for the place of work of some professions :
the lawyer’s office
= l’étude f du notaire
the doctor’s surgery (GB) or office (US)
= le cabinet du médecin
Cabinet is also used for architects and dentists. If in doubt, check in the dictionary.
People
Talking of someone’s profession, we could say he is a dentist. In French this would be either il est dentiste or c’est un dentiste. Only when the sentence begins with c’est, can the indefinite article (un or une) be used.
Paul is a dentist
= Paul est dentiste
she is a dentist
= elle est dentiste or c’est une dentiste
she’s a geography teacher
= elle est professeur de géographie or c’est un professeur de géographie
With adjectives, only the c’est construction is possible :
she is a good dentist
= c’est une bonne dentiste
In the plural, if the construction begins with ce sont then you need to use des (or de before an adjective) :
they are mechanics
= ils sont mécaniciens or ce sont des mécaniciens
they are good mechanics
= ce sont de bons mécaniciens
Trades and professions
what does he do?
= qu’est-ce qu’il fait?
what’s your job?
= qu’est-ce que vous faites dans la vie?
I’m a teacher
= je suis professeur
to work as a dentist
= travailler comme dentiste
to work for an electrician
= travailler pour un électricien
to be paid as a mechanic
= être payé comme mécanicien
he wants to be a baker
= il veut devenir boulanger

Big English-French dictionary. 2003.

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