Inklingo

How to Say "patrons" in Spanish

English → Spanish

clientes

klee-EN-tess/'klien̪t̪es/

nounA1general
Use 'clientes' when referring to the general customers or patrons of a business like a restaurant, hotel, or shop, especially when focusing on their role as buyers.
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.

Examples

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.

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.

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'.

clientela

/klee-en-TEH-lah//kljenˈtela/

nounB1formal
Use 'clientela' to refer to the body of regular, often loyal, customers or patrons of a business, implying a more established or even formal relationship.
A friendly group of diverse people standing in line in front of a cozy small shop with a bright blue awning.

Examples

Este café tiene una clientela muy fiel.

This cafe has a very loyal clientele.

La tienda lanzó una oferta para atraer nueva clientela.

The store launched an offer to attract new customers.

Es difícil mantener la clientela cuando los precios suben tanto.

It is difficult to maintain the customer base when prices rise so much.

One word, many people

Even though this word refers to a group of many people, it is grammatically singular. You should use singular verbs with it: 'La clientela es...' not 'son'.

Always Feminine

The word 'clientela' is always feminine, even if the group of customers is all men. Use 'la' and 'una' with it.

Using it for one person

Mistake: “Hablé con mi clientela.”

Correction: Hablé con mi cliente.

Plural confusion

Mistake: “Las clientelas están contentas.”

Correction: La clientela está contenta.

Clientes vs. Clientela

The most common mistake is using 'clientela' for any group of customers. Remember that 'clientes' is the more general and frequent term for any customer, while 'clientela' suggests a more established or loyal group, often used in more formal contexts.

Related Translations

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