A caixa me deu o recibo.

The cashier gave me the receipt.

Breakdown of A caixa me deu o recibo.

• me: me
• dar: to give
• a caixa: the cashier
• o recibo: the receipt

Questions & Answers about A caixa me deu o recibo.

Why does caixa mean cashier here? I thought it meant box.

Caixa can mean different things depending on context:

• box
• cash register / checkout
• cashier

In A caixa me deu o recibo, the context makes a caixa mean the female cashier.

So this sentence is understood as talking about a person, not a box.

Why is it a caixa and not o caixa?

Here, a caixa is feminine, so it normally refers to a female cashier.

A few useful points:

• a caixa = the female cashier
• o caixa = the male cashier, or sometimes the checkout/cash register, depending on context

So the article changes with the meaning and/or the person’s gender.

What exactly is me doing in this sentence?

Me means to me here.

With the verb dar (to give), Portuguese often uses an indirect object pronoun:

• A caixa me deu o recibo.
• literally: The cashier gave me the receipt
• more literally: The cashier gave the receipt to me

So:

• me = to me
• o recibo = the thing being given

Is a direct object or an indirect object here?