Learn Spanish (Spain): ¿Las nuevas acrobacias son menos complicadas de lo que pensábamos? - Are the new acrobatics less complicated than we thought?

¿Las nuevas acrobacias son menos complicadas de lo que pensábamos?

Are the new acrobatics less complicated than we thought?

Breakdown of ¿Las nuevas acrobacias son menos complicadas de lo que pensábamos?

ser

to be

nuevo

new / another, different (before the noun)

pensar

to think

menos

less; to (telling the time: a quarter to two)

Questions & Answers about ¿Las nuevas acrobacias son menos complicadas de lo que pensábamos?

Why use "de lo que" instead of just "que" for "than"?

Because we are comparing an adjective (complicadas) to a conjugated verb phrase (pensábamos). When the second part of a comparison is a clause (a phrase with its own verb) rather than just a noun, Spanish uses de lo que instead of que. If you were comparing acrobatics to another noun, you would use que (for example, menos complicadas que el malabarismo).

Why is the verb "pensábamos" in the imperfect tense rather than the preterite?

The imperfect tense (pensábamos) is used to describe an ongoing state of mind or belief in the past. The speakers held this opinion over a period of time leading up to the present moment, rather than thinking it as a single, isolated event.

Does "complicadas" have to agree with "acrobacias" even though it is right next to the neuter phrase "de lo que"?

Yes. complicadas modifies the subject, Las nuevas acrobacias, which is feminine plural. The phrase de lo que acts as a bridge meaning "than what" (literally "of that which") and refers to the abstract idea of their past thoughts, but it does not affect the gender or number of the main adjective.

Is there a specific reason "nuevas" comes before "acrobacias" here?

Placing nuevo before the noun generally means "new to us" or "newly introduced" (such as a new routine the acrobats just started learning). If it were placed after (acrobacias nuevas), it would emphasize that they are brand-new inventions that have never existed before.