Learn Hardcore Portuguese (Portugal): Felizmente, outra máquina ao lado funciona bem e eu consigo imprimir o bilhete. - Fortunately, another machine beside it works well and I manage to print the ticket.

In European Portuguese, when you start a sentence with an adverb that comments on the whole sentence (for example Felizmente, Infelizmente, Provavelmente, Sinceramente), it is standard to separate it from the rest of the sentence with a comma:

Felizmente, outra máquina ao lado funciona bem…
Infelizmente, não posso ir.

So the comma is normal and expected here.
You could technically omit it in very informal writing, but it’s better to keep it.

Could I say something other than Felizmente to mean “luckily / fortunately”?

Yes, some very common alternatives in European Portuguese are:

Ainda bem que… – very common, very natural, literally “it’s still good that…”
- Ainda bem que outra máquina ao lado funciona bem.
Por sorte, … – “by luck”
- Por sorte, outra máquina ao lado funciona bem.
Graças a Deus, … – “thank God”, more emotional / religious

Felizmente is neutral and slightly more formal or “written style” than ainda bem que, which is extremely common in everyday speech.

Why is it outra máquina and not uma outra máquina or a outra máquina?

All three are possible, but they don’t mean quite the same:

outra máquina – “another machine”, non-specific; just “a different machine”
- Most natural here: you tried one machine, it failed, you tried another one.
uma outra máquina – emphasizes “a different one”, often contrasting with a previous one
- Can sound a bit more emphatic: “some other machine (not the first one)”.
a outra máquina – “the other machine” (a specific second machine already known in the context)
- You usually use this when there are exactly two known machines: this one and the other one.

In your sentence, outra máquina is the most neutral and natural choice.

What exactly does ao lado mean here, and where can it go in the sentence?

ao lado literally means “by the side / next to”.
Here it means “another machine next to it / nearby”.

The usual and most natural position is right after the noun it modifies:

outra máquina ao lado – “another machine (that is) next to it”

You can also place it differently, but the meaning can shift slightly:

Ao lado, outra máquina funciona bem.
“Next to it, another machine works well.” (focusing more on the location)
Outra máquina funciona bem ao lado.
Grammatically possible, but it can sound a bit odd or ambiguous (it might sound like it functions well at the side).

So the original outra máquina ao lado is the clearest and most idiomatic.

Why is it outra máquina (feminine) and not outro máquina?

In Portuguese, adjectives and determiners agree in gender and number with the noun:

máquina is a feminine singular noun.
Therefore, you must say:
- uma máquina, a máquina
- outra máquina (feminine)
- boa máquina (“good machine” – feminine)

Outro (masculine) would be used with masculine nouns:

outro carro, outro computador, outro bilhete

Why is it funciona (simple present) and not something like está a funcionar?

Both are possible in European Portuguese, but the nuance is slightly different:

funciona bem – simple present
- General fact, regular behaviour:
- “It works well (in general / as a rule).”
está a funcionar bem – present progressive
- Focus on what is happening right now:
- “It is working well (at this moment).”

In this context (you are trying to print a ticket at a machine), funciona bem makes sense because you are effectively discovering that this machine generally works properly, in contrast to the first one that does not work.

Could I put bem somewhere else, like bem funciona?

No. The natural position for bem (“well”) with this kind of verb is after the verb:

funciona bem
trabalha bem
fala bem português

Putting bem before the verb (bem funciona) is not idiomatic in this neutral sentence; it would sound strange or poetic/marked, and that’s not what is intended here.

Do I really need to say eu consigo? Could I just say consigo imprimir o bilhete?

You don’t need the pronoun eu. In Portuguese, the verb ending already shows the person:

consigo = 1st person singular (eu)

So both are correct:

…e eu consigo imprimir o bilhete.
…e consigo imprimir o bilhete.

In normal speech and writing, dropping the pronoun here (…e consigo imprimir o bilhete) is actually more natural in European Portuguese, unless you need to emphasize I (as opposed to someone else).

What’s the difference between conseguir and poder here? Could I say eu posso imprimir o bilhete?

You could say eu posso imprimir o bilhete, but there is a nuance:

conseguir – focuses on managing / succeeding / being able after some difficulty
- eu consigo imprimir o bilhete:
  “I manage to print the ticket / I am able to print it (now that the machine works).”
poder – more neutral can / may / be allowed to
- eu posso imprimir o bilhete:
  “I can print the ticket / I’m allowed to / it’s possible for me to.”

In this specific situation (first machine didn’t work, second one does), conseguir is more natural because you had a problem and now you manage to solve it by printing your ticket.

Why is it imprimir o bilhete and not imprimir um bilhete?

Both are grammatically correct, but they say different things:

imprimir o bilhete – the ticket, a specific ticket that is already defined in the context (e.g., the one for your journey that you’ve already chosen/paid for).
imprimir um bilhete – a ticket, one ticket, not specifically identified.

Because you’re probably talking about your ticket for a specific trip, o bilhete is the natural choice.
If you were speaking more vaguely, you might use um bilhete:

Com esta máquina, consigo imprimir um bilhete.
“With this machine, I can print a ticket.” (any ticket)

Why is there no preposition before o bilhete? In English we say “print the ticket”, but in some languages you say “print of the ticket”.

In Portuguese, imprimir is a transitive verb and takes a direct object without a preposition:

imprimir o bilhete – to print the ticket
imprimir o documento – to print the document

You only add a preposition if you are specifying what you are printing onto:

imprimir o bilhete em papel A4 – “to print the ticket on A4 paper”
imprimir em frente e verso – “to print on both sides”

But the thing printed (ticket, document, etc.) is the direct object, no preposition.

Can I join the two parts as two separate sentences instead of using e?

Yes. You could write:

Felizmente, outra máquina ao lado funciona bem. Consigo imprimir o bilhete.

Both versions are correct:

With e:
Felizmente, outra máquina ao lado funciona bem e eu consigo imprimir o bilhete.
Feels like one continuous thought, slightly more informal, very natural in speech.
As two sentences:
Slightly more segmented, sometimes preferred in very clear, simple writing.

In everyday Portuguese (spoken and written), linking with e as in your sentence is perfectly normal and natural.

How do I pronounce Felizmente and bilhete in European Portuguese?

Approximate European Portuguese pronunciation:

Felizmente: [fɨ.liʒ.ˈmẽ.tɨ]
- fe- → [fɨ] (central vowel, not like English fe)
- -liz- → [liʒ] (the z is like the s in measure)
- -men- → [mẽ] (nasal ẽ, similar to French nasals)
- -te → [tɨ] (final e is also that central [ɨ] vowel)
bilhete: roughly [bi.ˈʎe.tɨ]
- bi- → [bi]
- -lh- → [ʎ], similar to the lli in Italian famiglia, or like a palatal “ly”
- -e- (stressed) → [e]
- final -te → [tɨ]

The lh sound in bilhete is often tricky for English speakers; the tongue touches the hard palate (like for l), but higher and further back, producing a softer “ly” sound.