Question 1

Since cliente ends in an -e, does the word change if the customer is a woman?

Accepted Answer

You can simply change the article (the "the" word) to match the person: el cliente for a man and la cliente for a woman. However, in many parts of Latin America, it is also very common to say la clienta for a female customer. Both are correct!

Question 2

How do we know su means "his" here instead of "her" or "your"?

Accepted Answer

By itself, su can mean his, her, your (formal), or their. We translated it as "his" here assuming the male customer (el cliente) is getting his own receipt. If we were talking about a female customer (la cliente), su recibo would naturally translate to "her receipt".

Question 3

If the customer just needed "some" receipt, would I use alguno or algún?

Accepted Answer

You would use algún. Because recibo is a masculine, singular noun, the word alguno drops its final -o and gains an accent mark when placed directly in front of it. You would say: El cliente necesita algún recibo.

Question 4

Can I use recibo to ask for the bill at a restaurant?

Accepted Answer

Generally, no. A recibo is a payment receipt showing you already paid, like the slip you get at a store. If you want to ask for the bill at a restaurant to pay for your meal, you ask for la cuenta. If you need an official business invoice, you ask for una factura.

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