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Le monstre est plus redoutable que je ne le pensais.

Le monstre est plus redoutable que je ne le pensais.
The monster is more formidable than I thought.
From Lesson 340:Expletive ne in comparisons (plus que ne…)·French

Questions & Answers about Le monstre est plus redoutable que je ne le pensais.

Why is there a ne before le pensais if the sentence isn't negative?
This is the ne explétif. It doesn't make the sentence negative at all. In formal or written French, it is often added after affirmative comparisons of inequality (like plus ... que or moins ... que) to highlight the gap between the reality (the monster is very formidable) and the expectation (what you originally thought).
Do I have to use this ne when speaking?
No. The ne explétif is considered elegant and belongs to a higher register of French. In casual, everyday spoken French, it is almost always dropped, and you will simply hear: Le monstre est plus redoutable que je le pensais.
Why is there a le in je ne le pensais? English just says "than I thought."
In French, you generally can't leave verbs like penser, croire, or dire hanging without an object if they refer back to an idea you just mentioned. The neutral pronoun le stands in for the adjective redoutable (or the whole idea that the monster is formidable). French is literally saying "than I thought it."
Where does the adjective redoutable come from?
It comes from the verb redouter, which means to dread or to fear greatly. So redoutable literally means something that should be dreaded: "fearsome," "daunting," or "formidable."

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