Breakdown of La primera parte es magistral; ahora bien, la trama es más confusa de lo que parece.
ser
to be
de
from / of
que
that / than
primero
first
más
more
parecer
to seem
lo
the ... thing (neuter article)
la parte
the part
confuso
confusing / confused
magistral
masterful
la trama
the plot
ahora bien
however / now then (that being said)
Questions & Answers about La primera parte es magistral; ahora bien, la trama es más confusa de lo que parece.
How does ahora bien change the tone compared to just using pero?
While pero simply means "but", ahora bien is an argumentative connector that translates closer to "that being said", "having said that", or "however". It fully concedes that the first statement (La primera parte es magistral) is true, but signals that the second statement will introduce a strong contrast or a complication.
Why is there a semicolon before ahora bien and a comma after it?
In Spanish, multi-word contrast connectors like ahora bien, no obstante, or sin embargo are strictly set off by punctuation. When they link two independent but closely related clauses, the standard punctuation is a semicolon before the connector and a comma right after it.
Why does the sentence use de lo que parece instead of just que parece?
When making a comparison where the second half contains a conjugated verb rather than a simple noun or pronoun, Spanish requires de lo que (literally "of that which") instead of just que. Because parece (it seems) is a conjugated verb, you must say más confusa de lo que parece. If comparing to a noun, you would use que (e.g., más confusa que la otra novela).
Does confusa mean "confused" or "confusing" here?
It means "confusing". In English, we use different word endings to separate the cause ("confusing") from the feeling ("confused"). Spanish often uses confuso / confusa for both. Since la trama (the plot) is an inanimate concept that causes the confusion, it translates to "confusing". When applied to a person, it means "confused".
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