Breakdown of Para remarcar, tiras uma senha no balcão.
Questions & Answers about Para remarcar, tiras uma senha no balcão.
What does the verb form in tiras tell me?
It’s second-person singular present indicative, addressing one person as tu (informal “you,” common among friends, peers, or to children in Portugal). So the speaker is talking informally to one person: “you take.”
- Informal: tiras
- Polite to a stranger (using você) or formal: tem de tirar (“you have to take”) or imperative tire (“please take”)
- Very formal: O senhor / A senhora tem de tirar
Why is it present indicative (tiras) instead of the imperative (tira) for giving instructions?
In European Portuguese it’s common and natural to use the present indicative to give friendly, matter-of-fact instructions: Chegas, tiras uma senha, e esperas. The imperative would also be correct:
- Informal imperative (tu): Tira uma senha.
- Polite imperative (você): Tire uma senha.
All are acceptable; the indicative often sounds less brusque.
Could/should it be tens de tirar instead of just tiras?
You could say that, and it’s very common:
- Para remarcar, tens de tirar uma senha no balcão. (“To reschedule, you have to take a ticket at the counter.”)
Differences:
- tiras = simple instruction/explanation
- tens de tirar = expresses necessity/requirement
Both are natural. In Portugal, tens de is more common than tens que, though both are heard.
What does senha mean here?
Here senha means a service number ticket you pull from a dispenser so you’ll be called in turn (in banks, clinics, shops, etc.). It does not mean a computer password in Portugal.
- In Portugal, “password” is usually palavra‑passe (or just English password in everyday speech).
- In Brazil, senha commonly means “password,” but in both varieties senha also means a numbered ticket for queues.
What exactly does tirar mean in this context?
Why is it uma senha and not a senha?
What does no mean in no balcão?
Could I say ao balcão instead of no balcão?
Often yes, but there’s a nuance:
- no balcão focuses on location (“at the counter”).
- ao balcão can mean “at the counter” too, but is especially common in contexts like cafés to contrast standing at the counter vs. sitting at a table (e.g., “pagar ao balcão”).
In your sentence, no balcão is the most neutral choice; ao balcão would not be wrong.
Is balcão the same as guiché?
They overlap but aren’t identical.
- balcão = a counter/front desk in general (physical counter).
- guiché = a specific service window/booth (often behind glass).
In many places, you can say either, but balcão is broader and very common. You might also hear receção (front desk) in clinics, hotels, etc.
Is Para remarcar the same as “In order to reschedule”? Why not Para que?
Yes. Para + infinitive expresses purpose when the understood subject is the same as the one performing the action (you). Use para que + subjunctive when the subject changes:
- Same subject: Para remarcar, tiras…
- Different subject: Para que possas remarcar, tens de… (“So that you can reschedule…”)
Does remarcar mean “remark” or “re-mark” in English?
No. Remarcar in Portuguese means “to reschedule” (set a new date/time for an appointment/meeting). Related verbs:
- desmarcar = to cancel (an appointment)
- adiar = to postpone
- marcar = to book/schedule
Is the comma after Para remarcar necessary?
Can I change the word order?
Basic SVO order is normal: tiras uma senha no balcão. You can front elements for emphasis:
- No balcão tiras uma senha. (emphasis on location)
- É no balcão que tiras uma senha. (cleft sentence; strong emphasis)
The original is the neutral, most common order.
How would this be said politely to a stranger?
Two natural options:
- Polite imperative: Para remarcar, tire uma senha no balcão.
- Polite necessity: Para remarcar, tem de tirar uma senha no balcão.
Even more formal: O senhor / A senhora tem de tirar uma senha…
How would Brazilians typically say it?
How do I pronounce the tricky parts?
Approximate European Portuguese:
- Para: PAH-ruh (the second vowel is reduced)
- remarcar: heh-mar-KAR (initial r is a throaty sound; stress on the last syllable)
- tiras: TEE-ruzh (final s sounds like “sh” in many EP accents)
- senha: SEN-yah (the nh is like Spanish ñ)
- balcão: bal-KOWN (the ão is a nasal “own”)
Don’t worry about perfect sounds at first; being understood matters most.
What would I see on a sign in a clinic or bank?
Typical sign wording:
- Para remarcar, retire senha no balcão.
- Remarcações: retirar senha no balcão.
- Por favor, tire uma senha.
Signs often use the verb retirar and omit articles to be concise.
More from this lesson
Sign up free — start using our AI language tutor
Start learning PortugueseMaster Portuguese — from Para remarcar, tiras uma senha no balcão to fluency
All course content and exercises are completely free — no paywalls, no trial periods.
- ✓ Infinitely deep — unlimited vocabulary and grammar
- ✓ Fast-paced — build complex sentences from the start
- ✓ Unforgettable — efficient spaced repetition system
- ✓ AI tutor to answer your grammar questions