Learn Hardcore German: Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich.

Because Chef is the subject in the nominative case, and mein here is a possessive determiner (like my in English), not a pronoun standing alone.

Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich.
- mein = my (before a noun)
- Chef = subject → nominative case
If mein stood alone (without a noun), it would be meiner in nominative masculine:
- Meiner ist freundlich. = Mine is friendly.

So:

before the noun → mein jetziger Chef
standing alone → meiner

Why is it jetziger and not jetztige or jetztiger without a change?

Jetziger is an adjective and must agree with the noun (Chef) in gender, case, and number, and it also depends on the determiner (mein).

Chef is:
- masculine
- singular
- nominative (subject)
Mein is an ein‑word (like ein, kein, mein, dein), so jetzig- takes the mixed declension:

Masculine nominative after mein → mein jetziger Chef

Compare:

Der jetzige Chef (after der → weak declension: jetzige)
Ein jetziger Chef (after ein → mixed declension: jetziger)

So mein jetziger Chef is the correct combination of:

nominative
masculine
after mein

What’s the difference between jetzt and jetziger? Can I say Mein jetzt Chef?

You can’t say Mein jetzt Chef; that’s ungrammatical.

jetzt = an adverb, meaning now (describes time)
- Er arbeitet jetzt. = He is working now.
jetzig = an adjective, meaning current / present (describes a noun)
- mein jetziger Chef = my current boss

So:

Mein Chef ist jetzt freundlich. = My boss is friendly now (he wasn’t before, or there’s a change).
Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich. = My current boss is friendly (compared with previous bosses).

They express different ideas.

What’s the difference between jetziger Chef and aktueller Chef or heutiger Chef?

All can mean current boss, but with slightly different flavors:

jetziger Chef
- very common and neutral
- simply the one I have at the moment, often with a contrast to a past one
aktueller Chef
- also “current boss”
- sounds a bit more formal/official or business-like
heutiger Chef
- literally today’s boss, but idiomatically today’s / modern boss
- often used in general statements:
  - Ein heutiger Chef muss flexibel sein. = A modern boss must be flexible.

In your sentence about your own boss, mein jetziger Chef or mein aktueller Chef are the most natural.

Why is Chef capitalized, but jetziger is not?

In German:

Nouns are always capitalized: Chef.
Adjectives are normally not capitalized: jetziger.
Possessive determiners (mein, dein, sein, ihr, unser, etc.) are also not capitalized (except at the beginning of a sentence).

So: Mein jetziger Chef → only Chef is a noun, so only Chef is capitalized.

Can I say Mein Chef ist freundlich without jetziger? Does it change the meaning?

Yes, you can absolutely say Mein Chef ist freundlich.

Difference in meaning:

Mein Chef ist freundlich.
- Just says your boss is friendly.
- No focus on time or comparison with other bosses.
Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich.
- Emphasizes this boss (the one I have now).
- Often implies a comparison: maybe your previous boss was not friendly.

Why is it freundlich and not freundliche or freundlicher?

In Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich, freundlich is a predicate adjective (after the verb sein).

In German:

Adjectives before a noun take endings:
- ein freundlicher Chef
Adjectives after “sein/werden/bleiben” usually have no ending:
- Mein Chef ist freundlich.
- Der Kaffee ist heiß.

So freundlich stays in its base form because it follows ist and does not directly modify a noun.

Is freundlich more like “friendly” or “nice” or “polite” in English?

Freundlich covers several ideas that in English might be separated:

friendly, kind, nice
also often polite, courteous in service contexts

Examples:

Mein Chef ist freundlich.
→ Your boss is pleasant, nice to people, not harsh.
Die Verkäuferin war sehr freundlich.
→ The saleswoman was polite and helpful.

So freundlich often implies both kind and polite behavior.

If my boss is a woman, do I still say Chef?

You can, but there is a more specific option.

Chef = male boss or a generic “boss”
Chefin = female boss

For a woman, it’s very natural to say:

Meine jetzige Chefin ist freundlich.

Note the changes:

meine (feminine nominative singular)
jetzige (feminine ending -e)
Chefin (feminine noun)

So the full feminine version is: Meine jetzige Chefin ist freundlich.

Why is there no der before Chef, like Mein der jetziger Chef?

In German, you normally use either:

a definite article (der, die, das)
or a possessive determiner (mein, dein, sein, ihr, etc.)

You don’t combine them in front of the same noun.

So:

der Chef = the boss
mein Chef = my boss
mein jetziger Chef = my current boss
der jetzige Chef = the current boss

But not mein der Chef or mein der jetziger Chef.

What would the sentence look like with a feminine, neuter, and plural noun instead of Chef?

Here are parallel examples to show how mein and jetzig- change:

Masculine (Chef)
- Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich.
Feminine (Chefin)
- Meine jetzige Chefin ist freundlich.
Neuter (Büro – office)
- Mein jetziges Büro ist freundlich.
  (More natural: Mein jetziges Büro ist schön / hell.)
Plural (Kollegen – colleagues)
- Meine jetzigen Kollegen sind freundlich.

Pattern (nominative):

mein jetziger
- masculine singular noun
meine jetzige
- feminine singular noun
mein jetziges
- neuter singular noun
meine jetzigen
- plural noun

Can I change the word order to Mein Chef jetziger ist freundlich?

No, that is incorrect in German.

In German, adjectives that directly modify a noun must come before the noun in a fixed block:

mein jetziger Chef
dieser nette Mann
ein interessanter Film

You cannot split it as Chef jetziger in standard German. The correct order is always:

[Determiner] + [Adjective(s)] + [Noun]
→ Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich.

How would I say “My boss is friendly now” (meaning there has been a change)?

To express a change over time, use jetzt as an adverb:

Mein Chef ist jetzt freundlich.

This means:

He is now friendly (but he wasn’t before, or something changed).

Compare:

Mein jetziger Chef ist freundlich.
→ My current boss (as opposed to a previous one) is friendly.
Mein Chef ist jetzt freundlich.
→ The same boss is now friendly (change in his behavior).