Customers

In session 12 we'll take a closer look at some of the words you heard earlier in session 2: Do you remember the word customer? What does this word mean? If you know what the word means -- how would you explain it to someone who doesn't know it? When you want to learn English, it's important to learn new words but even more important is to learn a technique that helps you learn and memorize new vocabulary. Do you remember how you learned German, your mother tongue? You heard a new word over and over and over again. You could not translate this word. Instead, your parents or someone else explained it to you. It's the same when you learn English: First you must hear the new word several times, then you repeat it and then someone explains to you what this new word means.

So, let's see how we can explain the word customer: First we must find a category. Is it food? Can you eat it? Or is it a machine or a device? Of course it's none of those. A customer is a person, a man or a woman. It's an individual who buys a product or a service from a company. Another word for customer could be client or buyer. Customers are very important for any business because without customers no company can exist.

Now, what word type is the word customer? Is it a verb, an adjective or a noun? Yes, you are right, the word costumer is a noun. But in English there is also a verb "to customize." If you look up the word to customize in your dictionary you will be surprised: You can't translate this word by only one German word. To customize means a lot of things. It's a whole philosophy. If you want to attract many customers you have to customize. And when you concentrate or focus on your customers it's easier for you to customize.

What about your company? How many customers do you have? What do you do to keep your customers and attract new customers? Is your company good at customizing? What exactly do you think is customizing? These are interesting questions, don't you think? Let's discuss them in our English class in Leipzig.