Question 1

Why does this sentence use di quanto instead of just di or che for "than"?

Accepted Answer

When you are comparing something to a whole clause (a phrase with its own conjugated verb, like "I thought" / pensavo), you need to use di quanto or di quello che. You would use just di before a noun or pronoun, and che when comparing two nouns, adjectives, or infinitives.

Question 2

The lesson example uses the subjunctive "di quanto pensassi", but this sentence uses the indicative "pensavo". Why the difference?

Accepted Answer

Grammatically, comparisons with di quanto usually trigger the subjunctive mood (like pensassi) because they express a subjective thought or opinion. However, in everyday spoken Italian, it is extremely common for native speakers to use the imperfect indicative (pensavo) instead. While pensassi is more grammatically "proper" and preferred in writing, pensavo sounds very natural in casual conversation.

Question 3

Can I replace di quanto with di quello che in this sentence?

Accepted Answer

Yes! You can absolutely say di quello che pensavo. Both di quanto and di quello che are completely interchangeable here and mean exactly the same thing.

Question 4

Why is it tradurre (to translate) instead of the '-ing' form like traducendo for "Translating"?

Accepted Answer

In English, we often use the '-ing' form (the gerund) as the subject of a sentence. In Italian, when a verb acts as the subject, you must always use the infinitive form (tradurre). The Italian gerund (traducendo) is only used to mean "while translating" or to form continuous tenses with the verb stare.

Tradurre questa espressione è più difficile di quanto pensavo.

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