In the world of business, clear communication is key, especially when you're speaking French. The most common word you'll hear is client (or cliente for a woman), but is it always the right one?

Depending on the context—whether you're a lawyer, a shopkeeper, or a regular at a café—French offers a variety of more specific and nuanced terms.

Using the correct word will not only make you sound more like a native speaker but also show a deeper understanding of the business culture. Let's explore nine different ways to refer to a 'client' in French!

The standard 'client' or 'customer' – un client / une cliente

Un client (masculine) and une cliente (feminine) are the most direct and common translations for "client" or "customer" in French.

This term refers to a person who purchases goods or pays for services. It's the standard word used in most commercial and professional settings, from retail stores to law firms.

As a noun referring to a person, client must agree in gender and number with the person it describes:

• un client: a male customer
• une cliente: a female customer
• des clients: multiple male customers or a group of mixed gender
• des clientes: multiple female customers

It can be used in almost any situation where someone is a patron. Whether you're talking about a customer in a bakery (un client de la boulangerie) or a client of an architect (un client de l'architecte), this is the correct word to use.

The key distinction of client(e) is that it often implies a relationship, even a brief one, between the business/professional and the person. It's broader than un acheteur (a buyer), which can refer more specifically to a person in the single act of purchasing something, especially a large item like a house.

In day-to-day language, always default to client(e). You are a client at a restaurant, a client at the supermarket, and a client of your bank. Use acheteur or acheteuse for more specific, transactional contexts, like in real estate or business acquisitions.

💡 * La vendeuse aide une cliente à trouver sa taille.

• Le restaurant est plein, tous les clients sont arrivés.
• Mon avocat a beaucoup de clients importants.
• La cliente n'était pas satisfaite de son achat.
• Nous traitons tous nos clients avec le même respect.

The 'regular' customer – un habitué / une habituée

The 'regular' customer – un habitué / une habituée

In French, a 'regular' at a café, shop, or restaurant is called un habitué (masculine) or une habituée (feminine). The term comes directly from the verb s'habituer à, which means 'to get used to something.' Essentially, an habitué is someone who has become a habit for a particular place.

This word is most commonly used by the staff of an establishment to describe their frequent customers. A bartender might point to someone at the counter and say, C'est un habitué, signifying that the person is a familiar and welcome face who comes in often.

Unlike the neutral English term 'customer,' habitué(e) carries a warm connotation of familiarity and belonging. It implies more than just a transaction; it suggests a relationship. The habitués are part of the establishment's daily life and atmosphere. They often have a 'usual' order ('comme d'habitude ?' – 'the usual?') and are known by name.

While most often heard in commercial settings like bars and bakeries, the term can apply to any place one frequents. You can be an habitué of a library, a specific park bench, or a museum. It describes a consistent, regular presence in a particular location.

💡 * Le barista connaît sa commande par cœur, c'est une habituée.

• Les habitués du marché arrivent toujours très tôt le samedi matin.
• Je ne suis pas un habitué de ce restaurant, c'est ma première visite.
• Il est devenu un habitué de la bibliothèque municipale.

The 'buyer' or 'purchaser' – un acheteur / une acheteuse

To talk about a 'buyer' or 'purchaser' in French, you'll use the nouns un acheteur for masculine and une acheteuse for feminine. These words are fundamental for any conversation involving a transaction or sale.

These nouns come directly from the essential verb acheter, which means 'to buy'. If you remember that someone who achète (buys) is an acheteur, you'll never forget the meaning.

It's crucial to use the correct form depending on who you're referring to:

• un acheteur: a male buyer
• une acheteuse: a female buyer
• des acheteurs: plural, for a group of male buyers or a mixed-gender group
• des acheteuses: plural, for a group of female buyers

The terms acheteur and acheteuse are widely used in commercial and legal contexts, especially in real estate and retail. It can refer to anyone making a purchase, from a customer at a market to a corporation acquiring another company.

While an acheteur can be a client (customer), acheteur specifically emphasizes the person's role during the act of purchasing. A client, on the other hand, can refer to a regular customer of a shop or service, even when they aren't currently buying something.

💡 * L'acheteur a signé le contrat pour la maison. (The buyer signed the contract for the house.)

• L'acheteuse potentielle a posé beaucoup de questions sur le produit. (The potential buyer (female) asked a lot of questions about the product.)
• Les acheteurs se sont plaints du prix élevé. (The buyers complained about the high price.)
• Nous recherchons un acheteur sérieux pour notre voiture. (We are looking for a serious buyer for our car.)

The 'consumer' – un consommateur / une consommatrice

The most direct and formal translation for 'consumer' in French is un consommateur for a male and une consommatrice for a female. These terms are the standard way to refer to someone who purchases goods or services.

You will typically encounter consommateur and consommatrice in economic, legal, or commercial contexts. It's the word used in discussions about consumer rights (droits des consommateurs), market studies, and advertising.

As with many French nouns for people, the gender must match the person being referred to. The masculine form, un consommateur, is used for a male consumer or when the gender is unknown or mixed in a general sense. The feminine form, une consommatrice, is used specifically for a female consumer.

The plural forms follow standard rules: des consommateurs for a group of male or mixed-gender consumers, and des consommatrices for a group of exclusively female consumers.

💡 * L'association protège les droits des consommateurs.

• La consommatrice a retourné le produit défectueux au magasin.
• Une étude récente analyse le comportement du consommateur moyen.
• Les consommateurs sont de plus en plus attentifs à l'origine des produits.

The 'user' (of a public service) – un usager / une usagère

When referring to a 'user' in the context of public services in French, the correct term is un usager (masculine) or une usagère (feminine).

This noun is specifically used for individuals who use public services or facilities, such as public transport, libraries, hospitals, or administrative offices. It carries a formal, administrative tone.

Remember to make the noun agree with the gender of the person. Use un usager for a male user and une usagère for a female user. The plural form is les usagers for an all-male or mixed group, and les usagères for an all-female group.

A common mistake is to confuse usager with utilisateur. Utilisateur refers to a user of a product, a service, a website, or an application (e.g., un utilisateur d'Instagram). Usager is reserved for public services.

To summarize, always choose usager/usagère when the 'user' is interacting with a public or state-run entity. It shows a more precise and advanced understanding of French vocabulary.

💡 * Les usagers du métro sont priés de valider leur titre de transport.

• Une usagère de la bibliothèque a demandé de l'aide pour trouver un livre.
• La mairie a mis en place un nouveau portail pour ses usagers.
• Les droits des usagers des services publics sont protégés par la loi.

The 'patient' (in a medical context) – un patient / une patiente

When referring to a person receiving medical care, French uses a direct equivalent of the English word: un patient for a male and une patiente for a female. The pronunciation is very similar to English, but with a French accent.

In French, gender agreement is essential. You must match the article and the noun to the gender of the person. Use un patient or le patient for a man, and une patiente or la patiente for a woman. For plural, it's des/les patients for all-male or mixed groups, and des/les patientes for all-female groups.

Be careful not to confuse the noun un patient (a person receiving care) with the adjective patient (the quality of being able to wait). They are spelled and pronounced identically. The meaning is always determined by the context of the sentence. For example, a sentence like Le patient est patient means "The patient (noun) is patient (adjective)."

These terms are used exclusively in medical and healthcare settings, such as hospitals (à l'hôpital), doctor's offices (chez le médecin), or clinics (à la clinique). You would not use this word to describe a 'customer' or 'client' in any other context.

💡 * Le médecin examine le patient attentivement. (The doctor examines the patient carefully.)

• La patiente attend les résultats de ses analyses. (The patient is waiting for her test results.)
• Tous les patients de cet étage sont sous observation. (All the patients on this floor are under observation.)
• Il faut être très patient pour voir une amélioration. (One must be very patient to see an improvement.)

The 'patron' or 'sponsor' (who commissions work) – un commanditaire

The term un commanditaire refers to a specific type of 'patron' or 'sponsor'—one who commissions and finances a particular piece of work or project.

Unlike a general patron (mécène), un commanditaire is directly linked to an order or commission. This noun is used in professional, artistic, or commercial contexts to identify the person or entity funding a specific project, such as a work of art, an architectural design, or a market study.

The word commanditaire is an epicene noun, meaning its form doesn't change with gender. You simply change the article: un commanditaire for a male sponsor and une commanditaire for a female sponsor.

💡 * L'artiste a refusé de modifier son œuvre pour le commanditaire. (The artist refused to modify his work for the patron.)

• L'étude a été financée par un commanditaire anonyme. (The study was financed by an anonymous sponsor.)
• Qui est la commanditaire de cette campagne publicitaire ? (Who is the sponsor of this advertising campaign?)
• Le musée recherche un commanditaire pour sa prochaine exposition. (The museum is looking for a sponsor for its next exhibition.)

The 'prospect' or 'potential client' – un prospect

The 'prospect' or 'potential client' – un prospect

Borrowed directly from English, un prospect is a key term in the world of French business, sales, and marketing. It refers specifically to a potential customer or client who has been identified and is being pursued by a company.

This is a masculine noun (un prospect). It's the standard term used when discussing sales funnels, lead generation, and customer relationship management (CRM). You'll frequently hear it in professional settings, from startups to large corporations.

A more traditionally French alternative is un client potentiel. While both are understood, un prospect is very common and often implies that the potential client has already been qualified or contacted.

💡 * Notre équipe de vente doit relancer plusieurs prospects cette semaine. (Our sales team has to follow up with several prospects this week.)

• Ce contact est un bon prospect pour notre nouveau logiciel. (This contact is a good prospect for our new software.)
• Comment transformer un prospect en client fidèle ? (How do you turn a prospect into a loyal customer?)

1. The collective 'clientele' or 'customer base' – la clientèle

When you want to refer to a group of customers, a customer base, or a clientele as a single collective unit, the French word to use is la clientèle. It's a direct equivalent to the English 'clientele' and is commonly used in business and service contexts.

Grammatically, la clientèle is a singular feminine noun. This is a key point, because even though it describes multiple people, it is treated as a single entity. Therefore, all related verbs and adjectives must agree in the singular feminine form. For instance, you would say La clientèle est exigeante (The clientele is demanding).

This term is distinct from les clients (the customers), which refers to the customers as individuals. La clientèle is used to discuss the customer base as a whole, often when analyzing business strategy, service quality, or market demographics. You'll hear it used for hotels, restaurants, luxury brands, and professional services.

💡 * Ce magasin de luxe vise une clientèle très aisée. (This luxury store targets a very wealthy clientele.)

• Nous devons fidéliser notre clientèle pour assurer la croissance de l'entreprise. (We must build loyalty with our customer base to ensure the company's growth.)
• La clientèle de l'hôtel est principalement internationale. (The hotel's clientele is mainly international.)
• Une bonne réputation attire une nouvelle clientèle. (A good reputation attracts a new customer base.)

Are there other ways to say 'client' in French?

Are there other ways to say “client” in French?

Our list features the most common ways to say “client” in French. But the language of business is vast, and you might encounter other terms depending on the industry, context, or specific type of service being offered.

To expand your professional vocabulary, you can do an online search for “synonyme de client en” followed by a specific field like droit (law), médecine (medicine), or hôtellerie (hospitality).

You might find some interesting synonyms for client using this method. As always, be sure to verify a word’s specific meaning and see it used in context before you use it in a professional setting.

Pay attention when you read professional articles, watch business news, or listen to work-related podcasts in French—you may discover more nuanced ways to refer to clients and customers.

And if you’re looking for more vocabulary related to business and customer relations in French, the Larousse dictionary entry for client is a great place to start exploring related terms and expressions.

I hope you found this article helpful for your professional journey. To finish, here is a well-known business proverb that holds true in any language: Un client satisfait est la meilleure des publicités. (A satisfied client is the best form of advertising.)