Il cavo del cambio dura più di quanto speravo.

Italian often uses the definite article where English might not, especially when referring to a specific thing already understood from the context.

So il cavo means the cable. In this sentence, it sounds like a particular cable is being discussed, not just cables in general.

• il cavo = the cable
• un cavo = a cable

If you said Un cavo del cambio dura più di quanto speravo, it would sound more like A gear cable lasts longer than I hoped, which is possible, but less likely if you mean a specific one.

Del is a contraction of di + il.

• di = of
• il = the
• del = of the

So:

• il cavo del cambio = the cable of the gear system / gear cable

Here del cambio tells you what kind of cable it is. In natural English, we usually say gear cable rather than cable of the gear shift, but Italian often uses this noun + di + noun structure.

Not in this sentence.

Although cambio can sometimes relate to change, here it means gearshift, transmission, or gear system, depending on the context.

So il cavo del cambio is not the cable of change. It means something like:

• gear cable
• shift cable
• transmission cable

The exact English choice depends on whether the context is a bicycle, motorcycle, car, etc.

Dura is from durare, which means to last.

So:

• Il cavo del cambio dura... = The gear cable lasts...

This is a very natural verb in Italian when talking about how long something continues to work or remain usable.

Examples:

• La batteria dura poco. = The battery doesn’t last long.
• Queste scarpe durano anni. = These shoes last for years.

In this sentence, dura means the cable is lasting longer than expected.

Più di quanto is a very common structure meaning more than when what follows is a whole clause or an implied amount/degree.

So:

• più di quanto speravo = more than I hoped
• more literally: more than what/how much I hoped

This is the standard and most natural phrasing here.

Più che speravo is not the usual form for this meaning. A learner should generally remember:

• più di quanto + verb
• meno di quanto + verb

Examples:

• Costa più di quanto pensassi. = It costs more than I thought.
• È meglio di quanto sembrasse. = It’s better than it seemed.

Here quanto refers to an implied amount, degree, or extent.

In più di quanto speravo, it means something like:

• more than I had hoped
• more than the amount/degree I had hoped for

So quanto is not really how much? as a direct question here. Instead, it introduces a comparison.

You can think of the structure as:

• più di quanto + [someone hoped/thought/expected]

It is very common in Italian after comparatives like più, meno, meglio, peggio.

Speravo is the imperfect tense of sperare.

Italian often uses the imperfect for background mental states, feelings, expectations, or ongoing thoughts in the past. Here it means something like:

• than I was hoping
• than I had hoped

That makes it sound natural with the comparison.

Why not the others?

• ho sperato = I hoped / I have hoped
  This sounds more like a completed action, and is less natural here.
• sperai = simple past, mostly literary or regional in many contexts, and not the usual everyday choice here.

So più di quanto speravo is the most natural everyday Italian.

Yes, you could, and it would be understandable.

• più di quello che speravo = literally more than what I hoped
• più di quanto speravo = more than I hoped

But più di quanto speravo is more compact and more idiomatic in this kind of sentence.

So both are possible, but più di quanto speravo is the more elegant and standard choice.

Here it is used intransitively.

The subject is Il cavo del cambio, and the verb describes what the cable does:

• Il cavo del cambio dura = The gear cable lasts

There is no direct object after dura.

This is the normal use when you mean to last:

• La lezione dura un’ora.
• La batteria dura due giorni.

In your sentence, the idea is:

• The cable lasts more than I hoped

The structure is:

• Il cavo del cambio = subject
• dura = verb
• più di quanto speravo = comparative expression

So the sentence is built like this:

[Subject] + [verb] + [comparison]

More literally:

• The gear cable lasts more than I hoped

This word order is very normal in Italian and does not sound marked or unusual.

Most naturally, it means it lasts longer than expected.

Because durare is about duration, the primary idea is time: the cable remains usable for a longer period than the speaker had hoped.

Depending on context, there can be a wider sense of holding up well, but the core meaning is still lasting rather than simply being better.

So if you want the safest interpretation, think:

• It lasts longer than I hoped