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El aire aquí es más escaso de lo que pensábamos.

El aire aquí es más escaso de lo que pensábamos.
The air here is scarcer than we thought.
From Lesson 278:Clausal comparatives with adjectives (más... de lo que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about El aire aquí es más escaso de lo que pensábamos.

Why do we use de lo que instead of just que for "than"?
In Spanish, when you compare an adjective (like escaso) to a conjugated verb (like pensábamos), you must use de lo que instead of que. Think of it as saying "scarcer than what we thought." If you were comparing two nouns, you would just use que.
If the subject was feminine, would de lo que change to de la que?
No, lo que stays exactly the same! In this structure, the neuter lo refers to the abstract idea of "what we thought," not the noun itself. The adjective changes to match the noun, but de lo que is fixed. For example: La comida es más escasa de lo que pensábamos.
Why is pensábamos in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?
The imperfect tense (pensábamos) is used here because it describes an ongoing expectation or belief you held in the past leading up to this moment. The preterite is for actions with a clear end, which doesn't fit a continuous state of mind like a general expectation.
Does escaso literally mean "thin" when talking about air?
Escaso generally means "scarce," "limited," or "in short supply." While English speakers say the air is "thin" at high altitudes, Spanish speakers say the air is scarce, making escaso the perfect natural choice here.

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