What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "I return to my place/house". The verb rentrer means "to return" or "to go back", and the preposition chez is used with personal pronouns to indicate someone's home or place of business, making chez moi mean "at my place" or "to my home".
Which one should you use?
While je vais à la maison (I am going to the house) is grammatically possible, je rentre chez moi is a much more natural way for a native speaker to say they are going home. Additionally, the phrase can be generalized using the indefinite pronoun on and the reflexive soi to create on rentre chez soi, meaning "one goes home".
How does it change in a sentence?
The verb rentrer is used here because it specifically implies returning to a place one has come from, whereas the verb aller simply means "to go".
Did you know?
- The word chez comes from the Latin casa, meaning 'house'. This makes it a distant relative of the English word 'case' in the sense of a housing or container.
- The preposition chez is so versatile that it is used for both homes and businesses. You can say je vais chez le médecin to mean 'I am going to the doctor's office'.
- While rentrer means 'to return', it is used in French even when you are going home for the first time that day. In English, you 'go' home, but in French, you always 're-enter' your home.
Examples in context
- Je rentre chez moi avec mon frère.I am going home with my brother.This sentence is useful for showing how to use je rentre chez moi with a companion.Tatoeba #10735125 by carlosalberto, translation #10735112 by carlosalberto
- Je rentre chez moi ce soir.I am going home tonight.
- Je rentre chez moi. Au revoir !I am going home. Goodbye!
- Je rentre chez moi maintenant.I am going home now.
- Il est tard, je rentre chez moi.It is late, I am going home.
Example conversation
At the end of a party.
- HugoLa fête est finie, je rentre chez moi.The party is over, I am going home.
- ChloéD'accord, rentre bien, Hugo.Okay, get home safely, Hugo.
- HugoMerci, Chloé. Bonne nuit !Thanks, Chloé. Good night!
- ChloéBonne nuit à toi aussi.Good night to you too.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries chez, je, moi, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
