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Quel progetto era meno lucroso di quanto non avessimo immaginato.

Quel progetto era meno lucroso di quanto non avessimo immaginato.
That project was less lucrative than we had imagined.
From Lesson 359:The extra non in comparisons (di quanto non)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Quel progetto era meno lucroso di quanto non avessimo immaginato.

Why is there a non in this sentence when the English translation is not negative?
This is the pleonastic non (an extra, non-translating word). In Italian, when a comparative clause like di quanto introduces a conjugated verb, a non is often added to emphasize the contrast between reality and what was expected. It does not actually make the verb negative.
Why is avessimo immaginato in the subjunctive mood here?
Comparative clauses introduced by phrases like di quanto or di quello che require the subjunctive when followed by a verb. Because the imagining happened before the main past action (era), we use the past perfect subjunctive (trapassato congiuntivo).
Why do we use di quanto here for 'than' instead of just che or di?
When 'than' introduces a new clause with a conjugated verb, you must use di quanto (or di quello che). You would use di before a simple noun or pronoun, and che to compare two adjectives, nouns, or infinitives directly.
Is it grammatically correct to leave out the non completely?
Yes, it is perfectly correct to say di quanto avessimo immaginato. The pleonastic non is optional. Using it simply adds stylistic elegance and heightens the sense of contrast, which is very common in written or careful spoken Italian.

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