Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Para remarcar, tiras uma senha no balcão. - To reschedule, you take a number at the counter.

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?

Literally “to take,” but in this fixed expression tirar (uma) senha means “to obtain a queue ticket” from the machine at the entrance or counter. You’ll also see the more formal retirar senha on signs. Using puxar here is not idiomatic in Portugal.

Why is it uma senha and not a senha?

Because you’re taking any ticket, not a specific, previously identified one. Uma senha = “a/one ticket.” You’d use a senha only if the ticket was already known in the context (e.g., “the ticket you need for this service”).

What does no mean in no balcão?

No is the contraction of em + o (“in/on/at + the”). So no balcão = “at the counter.” Similarly, na is em + a (“at the” feminine).

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?

It’s recommended because the initial purpose clause is an introductory element. You’ll often see it with a comma in careful writing: Para remarcar, … In informal writing, people sometimes omit it, but keeping it is good practice.

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?

A Brazilian version might be: Para remarcar, você tira uma senha no guichê. Polite form: Para remarcar, o senhor / a senhora precisa tirar uma senha no guichê. Note the use of você and guichê (without the final “r” in pronunciation) in Brazil.

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.