Chef or Koch?
a2English chef is German Koch. German Chef means boss - the person in charge in any trade, not just in a kitchen.
der Chef
The boss, the person in charge. Feminine: die Chefin. Pronounced with sh at the start.
Mein Chef ist heute nicht da.My boss isn't in today.
der Koch
Someone who cooks for a living - what English chef means. Feminine: die Köchin. The head cook is der Küchenchef.
Der Koch hat das Gericht erfunden.The chef invented the dish.
The mistake
Der Chef hat die Suppe gekocht.
Der Koch hat die Suppe gekocht.
In German the Chef is the boss. The person cooking is der Koch; only a Küchenchef is both at once.
Rule of thumb
Mnemonic: the German Chef sits in the office. The Koch stands in the kitchen.
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