Breakdown of Lo bueno es que la cuajada se queda firme.
ser
to be
que
that / than
quedarse
to stay / to end up / become
bueno
good
Questions & Answers about Lo bueno es que la cuajada se queda firme.
Why does this sentence use the indicative se queda instead of the subjunctive se quede? Doesn't the word "good" trigger the subjunctive?
It is true that es bueno que... (it is good that...) triggers the subjunctive because it expresses a value judgment. However, lo bueno es que... (the good thing is that...) takes the indicative. This is because it acts as a declaration: you are stating what the fact actually is, rather than reacting to a pending or hypothetical action.
What exactly does lo do in the phrase lo bueno?
Here, lo acts as the neuter article. Whenever you place lo in front of a masculine singular adjective, it turns that adjective into an abstract noun. This is a very common structure in Spanish, making lo bueno mean "the good thing" or "that which is good."
Why use the pronominal verb se queda instead of just está?
Does the adjective firme change based on the gender of the noun?