Breakdown of Felizmente, saímos daquele apuro sem pagar a multa.
a
to / at (direction)
daquele
of that over there (m/sg), daquela (f/sg), daqueles (m/pl), daquelas (f/pl)
pagar
to pay
sair
to go out
sem
without
a multa
the fine
felizmente
fortunately
o apuro
the predicament
Questions & Answers about Felizmente, saímos daquele apuro sem pagar a multa.
The current lesson is about ainda bem que taking the indicative. Does felizmente work the same way here?
Exactly. Both felizmente (fortunately) and ainda bem que (it is a good thing that) express relief or happiness, but they frame the event as a stated fact. Because you are confirming a reality rather than expressing subjective doubt, you use the indicative mood (saímos) instead of the subjunctive. If you wanted to use the subjunctive, you would need a different trigger phrase, like Fico feliz que tenhamos saído... (I am happy that we got out...).
Is saímos in the present or past tense in this sentence?
It is in the simple past (pretérito perfeito). For regular -ir verbs like sair, the nós (we) form is identical in both the present and the past tense (saímos). As a B2 learner, you have to rely entirely on the context to tell them apart. Here, getting out of a tight spot without paying a fine describes a completed event.
What kind of trouble is an apuro?
Why do we use the infinitive pagar here when the English translation says "paying"?
In Portuguese, whenever a verb directly follows a preposition like sem (without), it must be in the infinitive form. English uses the gerund (-ing) after prepositions, which often tempts learners to use the Portuguese gerund (pagando). Just remember: "without paying" is always sem pagar.
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