A colorful storybook illustration showing a smiling customer standing across a counter from a cashier. The customer is holding a basket of apples, ready to pay.

clientes

klee-EN-tess

NounmA1

customers?people buying goods in a store,clients?people receiving professional services (e.g., legal, financial)

Also:patrons?often used for restaurants or hotels

📝 In Action

Todos los clientes de la tienda salieron contentos con sus compras.

All the customers of the store left happy with their purchases.

Mi abogada tiene muchos clientes importantes que atender.

My lawyer has many important clients to attend to.

Necesitamos atraer más clientes nuevos si queremos crecer este año.

We need to attract more new customers if we want to grow this year.

Word Connections

Synonyms

compradores (buyers)
usuarios (users)

Common Collocations

servicio al cliente – customer service
cartera de clientes – client base / client portfolio
fidelizar clientes – to build customer loyalty

💡 Grammar Points

Masculine Plural Default

Even if you are talking about a group that includes women, 'clientes' (masculine plural) is the standard, general term for a mixed group of clients or customers.

Singular Form

The singular form is 'cliente' (one customer). If you want to specify a female customer, you can use 'clienta', but 'cliente' is often used for either gender in the singular as well.

❌ Common Pitfalls

Using the Wrong Article

Mistake: "Las clientes están esperando."

Correction: Los clientes están esperando. Remember that 'clientes' is grammatically masculine, so you must use the masculine plural article 'los'.

⭐ Usage Tips

Professional vs. Commercial

Use 'clientes' for both a person buying a cup of coffee (customer) and a corporation hiring a consulting firm (client). The context clarifies the exact type of relationship.

✏️ Quick Practice

💡 Quick Quiz: clientes

Question 1 of 2

Which phrase correctly refers to the total group of people a company serves?

📚 More Resources

Word Family

cliente(customer / client (singular)) - noun

clientela(clientele / customer base (collective noun)) - noun

Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a difference between 'cliente' and 'comprador'?

Yes, 'clientes' are people who regularly use a service or buy from a specific place, implying a relationship. 'Compradores' simply means 'buyers' or 'purchasers'—they only bought something once and don't necessarily have loyalty.

How do I specify that the customers are all female?

You would use the feminine plural form: 'las clientas'. However, many speakers still use the general term 'los clientes' even for all-female groups, though 'las clientas' is perfectly correct.