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Non avevamo previsto questa quantità.

Non avevamo previsto questa quantità.
We had not foreseen this quantity.
From Lesson 252:Fractions and multipliers (la metà, il doppio)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Non avevamo previsto questa quantità.

How does this sentence fit into a lesson about fractions and multipliers?
While it doesn't use a specific multiplier like il doppio (double), the word quantità (quantity) introduces the topic. In a real conversation, you might naturally follow this up by saying, "We had not foreseen this quantity, we received il triplo (triple)!"
What tense is avevamo previsto?
It is the trapassato prossimo (past perfect), which translates to "had foreseen" or "had predicted". You form it by using the imperfect tense of the helping verb (here, avevamo from avere) plus the past participle of the main verb (previsto).
Why is the past participle of prevedere irregular (previsto)?
Prevedere (to foresee or predict) is formed by combining the prefix pre- with the verb vedere (to see). Compound verbs usually follow the exact same irregular patterns as their base verb. Since the past participle of vedere is visto, prevedere becomes previsto.
How would you change this sentence to say "these quantities" in the plural?
It would be Non avevamo previsto queste quantità. Nouns that end in an accented vowel, like quantità, are invariable, meaning their spelling does not change in the plural. You only change the demonstrative adjective from questa to queste to show that it is plural.

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