Which one should you use?
While chefe can mean a person in charge in any context, patrão specifically implies a relationship of employment between an employer and an employee. Additionally, if you are referring to a person in a more hierarchical organization or a formal setting, you might use diretor, which means 'director'.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In European Portuguese, chefe is commonly used when referring to a boss. In Brazilian Portuguese, patrão is a commonly-used word for boss.
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun chefia refers to the position or the office of being a boss (the leadership), rather than the person themselves. The word chefe can be either masculine or feminine.
How do you pronounce it?
The word has 2 syllables, with the stress on the 1st syllable. The IPA is /ˈʃɛ.fi/.
Did you know?
- In Brazil, a person might address a stranger or a taxi driver as chefe as a friendly, informal way to get their attention, similar to saying 'boss' or 'chief' in English.
- While chefe refers to a leader, the word patrão carries a historical weight in Brazil related to the land-owning class and the legacy of colonial plantations.
- The Portuguese word chefe shares the same linguistic ancestor as the English word 'chief', both tracing back to the Latin 'caput', meaning 'head'.
Examples in context
- Você é o chefe?Are you the boss?This sentence is useful for asking if someone is the boss using chefe.Tatoeba #10618526 by lucasmg123, translation #773385 by marloncori
- Ele é meu chefe.He is my boss.This sentence is useful for stating that someone is my boss using chefe.Tatoeba #2741956 by Sitko, translation #297905 by CK
- Tom é teu chefe.Tom is your boss.This sentence is useful for stating that Tom is your boss using chefe.Tatoeba #4258420 by ajdavidl, translation #2273643 by CK
- Por favor, posso falar com o chefe?May I speak with the boss, please?
- O patrão está ocupado no momento.The boss is busy at the moment.
- Onde o chefão está? Preciso falar com ele.Where is the boss? I need to talk to him.
- 139 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Mariana and Felipe are talking about work in the office breakroom.
- MarianaO seu chefe é legal?Is your boss nice?
- FelipeSim, o meu chefe é ótimo.Yes, my boss is great.
- MarianaQue bom que você gosta dele.I'm glad you like him.
- FelipeEle ajuda muito a equipe.He helps the team a lot.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “boss” translations and entries chefe, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chefe, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
