A cabeleireira deu-me um pente para arranjar a franja.

A is the feminine singular definite article, meaning the.

Portuguese uses definite articles more often than English, especially with specific people in context. So A cabeleireira means the hairdresser. In English, we might just say The hairdresser, without thinking much about gender, but in Portuguese the article has to agree with the noun's gender.

Because cabeleireira is feminine, the article is a, not o.

Cabeleireira is the feminine form of hairdresser. It refers to a female hairdresser.

• o cabeleireiro = the male hairdresser
• a cabeleireira = the female hairdresser

This sentence is specifically talking about a woman, so the feminine form is used.

Deu-me means gave me or more literally gave to me.

It is made up of:

• deu = gave
• me = to me / me

The verb is dar = to give.
Here, deu is the 3rd person singular preterite form, so it means he/she gave.

So:

• A cabeleireira deu-me um pente = The hairdresser gave me a comb

In European Portuguese, clitic object pronouns often come after the verb in an affirmative main clause. This is called enclisis.

So:

• deu-me = standard European Portuguese

In Brazilian Portuguese, me deu is much more common.

In European Portuguese, me usually comes before the verb only when something triggers that position, for example:

• Não me deu um pente. = She didn’t give me a comb.
• Quando me deu o pente... = When she gave me the comb...

So in your sentence, deu-me is the expected European Portuguese pattern.

The hyphen is used in European Portuguese when certain unstressed object pronouns are attached to the end of the verb.

So:

• deu-me
• disse-lhe
• mostrou-nos

This is standard spelling. The pronoun is not a separate stressed word here; it is attached to the verb.

Deu is the preterite of dar.

The preterite is used for a completed action in the past. So this sentence describes one finished event:

• The hairdresser gave me a comb

It is not describing a habitual action, and it is not progressive. It is a simple completed past action.

Because pente is a masculine noun.

So:

• um pente = a comb
• not uma pente

In Portuguese, articles must agree with the grammatical gender of the noun:

• um for masculine singular
• uma for feminine singular

Para + infinitive often expresses purpose, like to, in order to, or for doing something.

So:

• para arranjar a franja = to tidy/fix the fringe

It answers the question what for?

• She gave me a comb for tidying/fixing my fringe

Here arranjar does not literally mean only arrange in the English sense. With hair, it often means fix, tidy, or do your hair.

Good question. Both can relate to hair, but they are not exactly the same.

• pentear = to comb hair
• arranjar = to fix / tidy / sort out / do hair

So arranjar a franja is a bit broader. It suggests making the fringe look right, neat, or in place. Using a comb is one way to do that.

If the sentence had para pentear a franja, the focus would be more specifically on the act of combing.

Here franja means the hair that falls over the forehead.

In English:

• fringe in British English
• bangs in American English

So:

• arranjar a franja = to fix/tidy the fringe / to fix/tidy the bangs

In Portuguese, with body parts, clothing, and things that obviously belong to the person involved, it is very common to use the definite article instead of a possessive.

So Portuguese often says:

• lavei as mãos = I washed my hands
• partiu a perna = he broke his leg
• arranjar a franja = to fix my fringe

Even though minha is not used, the meaning is still understood from the context.

So in this sentence, a franja naturally means my fringe.

The sentence breaks down like this:

• A cabeleireira = subject
• deu-me = verb + indirect object pronoun
• um pente = direct object
• para arranjar a franja = purpose phrase

So the structure is roughly:

The hairdresser + gave me + a comb + to fix the fringe

A very literal English version would be:

• The hairdresser gave me a comb to fix the fringe

A more natural English version would usually be:

• The hairdresser gave me a comb to tidy my fringe
• The hairdresser gave me a comb to fix my bangs