{"id":10524,"date":"2019-02-28T07:30:12","date_gmt":"2019-02-28T07:30:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/?p=10524"},"modified":"2020-01-31T15:35:30","modified_gmt":"2020-01-31T15:35:30","slug":"dont-let-it-confuse-you-chef","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/german\/dont-let-it-confuse-you-chef\/","title":{"rendered":"Don’t Let It Confuse You! – Chef"},"content":{"rendered":"

Due to the great interest in the last post in this new series, here is the second one early! In this series, we will look at words or phrases that\u00a0seem\u00a0<\/em>to mean the exact same thing in English, simply because they are spelled the same or sound the same. These are also known as “false cognates”, in German known as Fauxami\u00a0<\/em>(a “false friend” in French). But they are not! So don’t let them confuse you! Today, as a second course, we look at the word\u00a0Chef<\/em>.<\/p>\n

For previous posts in this series, click here.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Expectation: Cooking up wonderful meals<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Le Chef de l’H\u00f4tel Chatham, Paris, by William Orpen, painted ca. 1921 (Image from Commons.wikimedia.org, public domain)<\/p><\/div>\n

When we think of a chef in English, we may think of an exotischen Geschmack\u00a0<\/em>(exotic taste),\u00a0herrlich duftende K\u00fcchen\u00a0<\/em>(deliciously smelling kitchens), or perhaps a\u00a0“bonjour”<\/em>,\u00a0Schnurrbart\u00a0<\/em>(mustache), a Kochm\u00fctze\u00a0<\/em>(chef’s hat) and other whites part of the picture.<\/p>\n

A German won’t think of this at all. Not by a long shot. As you may have guessed from\u00a0Kochm\u00fctze<\/em>, German’s call a chef a\u00a0Koch<\/em>. But Germans use the word\u00a0Chef<\/em> as well – for what you ask? Well…<\/p>\n

Reality: Cooking up the new successful business strategy<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Image by ernestoeslava at Pixabay.com, free license)<\/p><\/div>\n

When you say the word Chef <\/em>to a German, they will think about the person in the Eckb\u00fcro mit der besten Aussicht\u00a0<\/em>(corner office with the best view), the person that said Sie sind eingestellt <\/em>(you are hired) and caused them to throw a party: their boss.\u00a0Chef\u00a0<\/em>really is a general term that normally refers to the person at the top of a work hierarchy. You may have seen articles talking about the\u00a0VW-Chef\u00a0<\/em>(Volkswagen boss) lately. Angela Merkel, still German Bundeskanzler\u00a0<\/em>(Federal Chancellor), is also called the\u00a0Regierungschef\u00a0<\/em>(head of government).<\/p>\n

Now, instead of\u00a0Chef<\/em>, you can also just use the word\u00a0Boss<\/em>. Confusingly, we use that as well, though it is less common. A more official term is\u00a0Leiter,\u00a0<\/em>which translates best to “manager”. Perhaps it is easiest to think of the English equivalent “Chief” as in CEO (Chief Executive Officer), for example.<\/p>\n

Also: Hey<\/em><\/strong> Chef!<\/strong><\/em><\/h2>\n
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Image by Brendan Church at Unsplash.com<\/p><\/div>\n

Apart from that,\u00a0Chef<\/em>, as the Duden<\/a> confirms, is also a\u00a0saloppe Anrede [an einen Unbekannten]\u00a0<\/em>(casual salute [to a stranger]). An example:<\/p>\n

Hey Chef, machst du mir bitte ein Bier?\u00a0<\/em>(Hey man, could you please make me a beer?)<\/p>\n

Hi Chef! Alles klar bei dir?\u00a0<\/em>(Hi man! Everything alright?)<\/p>\n

But don’t call your boss\u00a0Chef\u00a0<\/em>like that. Germans are quite the polite people at work. So always go by\u00a0Herr\/Frau Nachname.<\/em><\/p>\n

How to say it?<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Listen to all of this below:<\/p>\n

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