Breakdown of Tira a panela do lume, senão a manteiga queima.
de
of / from / by (means of transport) / wearing (attire)
tirar
to take
a panela
the pot
a manteiga
the butter
queimar
to burn
o lume
the heat (stove)
senão
otherwise
Questions & Answers about Tira a panela do lume, senão a manteiga queima.
Why is "senão" written as a single word here instead of "se não"?
In this sentence, senão means "otherwise" or "or else", which introduces a negative consequence. You use the two-word se não when you literally mean "if not" in a conditional phrase, which would require a different structure, such as Se não tirares a panela... (If you do not take the pot off...).
Could I say "do fogo" instead of "do lume"?
In European Portuguese, lume is the standard word for the heat or burner on a stove. While fogo means "fire" in a general sense (like a campfire or a burning building), cooking instructions almost always use lume.
Is "tira" here the present tense or an imperative command?
It is the affirmative imperative command for the informal tu (you). It looks exactly like the third-person singular present tense, which is how regular affirmative tu commands are formed. If you were giving this instruction formally to você, you would change the ending and say tire.
Why isn't "queima" reflexive here? Shouldn't it be "a manteiga queima-se"?
The verb queimar can be used both with and without the reflexive pronoun when something is burning itself. In everyday spoken Portuguese, especially when talking about food cooking or burning, it is very common and perfectly natural to just say a manteiga queima instead of a manteiga queima-se.
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