When navigating the tricky world of scams and deceptions, situations are often much more dangerous than they appear. In Italian, to emphasize this gap between reality and expectation, we use the pleonastic non.
When making a comparison using più (more) or meno (less) combined with di quanto (than), Italian frequently adds an extra non right before the verb in the second half of the sentence.
This non doesn't actually negate the sentence. It acts as a stylistic intensifier, highlighting the sharp contrast between the actual truth and what was assumed.
Because these comparisons deal with subjective expectations or beliefs, the verb following di quanto non takes the subjunctive mood.
| The offer was more tempting than we thought, but it was a scam. | L'offerta era più allettante di quanto non pensassimo, ma era una truffa. |
| The scammer is more cunning than naive people believe. | Il truffatore è più astuto di quanto la gente ingenua non creda. |
| This deception is more insidious than it seems. | Questo raggiro è più insidioso di quanto non sembri. |
| That project was less lucrative than we had imagined. | Quel progetto era meno lucroso di quanto non avessimo immaginato. |
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