Breakdown of Il me semble que la réalité est moins subjective que je ne croyais.
je
I
être
to be
moins
less / to (time)
il
it (impersonal subject)
croire
to believe
me
me, myself (object pronoun)
que
than (in comparisons)
sembler
to seem
ne
expletive 'ne' (no negative meaning)
la réalité
the reality
subjectif
subjective
Questions & Answers about Il me semble que la réalité est moins subjective que je ne croyais.
Why do we use the indicative est here instead of the subjunctive?
Because the sentence uses Il me semble que (It seems to me that). When you add the indirect object pronoun me, the phrase expresses a personal opinion or a strong degree of certainty, which requires the indicative. If the sentence used the impersonal Il semble que (It seems that), it would imply doubt and require the subjunctive soit.
Why is there a ne in que je ne croyais? Is the sentence negative?
No, it is not negative. This is called the expletive ne, which is often used in formal or written French after comparatives of inequality like moins que or plus que. It emphasizes the gap between reality and the speaker's expectation. In casual, everyday spoken French, you can safely drop it and just say que je croyais.
Could I say moins subjective que ce que je croyais instead?
Why is croyais in the imperfect tense rather than the passé composé?
The verb croire (to believe) describes a state of mind. Because your belief was an ongoing, continuous state in the background of the past without a clearly defined start or end, it requires the imperfect tense. Using the passé composé would sound like a sudden, isolated action rather than a lasting mindset.
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