Question 1

Why is there a ne in que je ne pensais if the English translation isn't negative?

Accepted Answer

This is the ne explétif. In formal and written French, it often appears after affirmative comparisons of inequality (using moins que, plus que, mieux que, etc.). It doesn't negate the verb; rather, it elegantly emphasizes the gap between the reality and what you expected. In casual spoken French, this ne is frequently dropped.

Question 2

Why use the imparfait (pensais) instead of the passé composé (j'ai pensé) for "I thought"?

Accepted Answer

The imparfait is used here because your expectation was an ongoing state of mind leading up to the realization. You held this belief over a period of time. Using the passé composé (j'ai pensé) would sound like a single, sudden thought that flashed through your mind at one specific moment.

Question 3

Why is toujours placed right in the middle of ont trouvé?

Accepted Answer

In French compound tenses like the passé composé, short and common adverbs (such as toujours, souvent, déjà, and jamais) are almost always placed between the conjugated auxiliary verb (here, ont) and the past participle (trouvé). You shouldn't put them at the end of the verb phrase like we often do in English.

Question 4

Do you pronounce the "s" at the end of moins in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

No, the "s" is silent here. You generally only hear the "s" in moins if it forms a liaison with a following word that starts with a vowel or a mute "h" (for example, in moins intéressant). Since lucratif starts with a consonant, there is no liaison.

Ils ont toujours trouvé ce travail moins lucratif que je ne pensais.

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