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than I expected vs than I had expected

Both phrases are correct, but they are used in different contexts. 'Than I expected' is used when comparing something to your current expectation, while 'than I had expected' is used when comparing something to a past expectation. These phrases are not directly comparable as they serve different purposes.

Explained by Jennifer
Editor at TextRanch

Last updated: August 03, 2024 • 37681 views

than I expected

This phrase is correct and commonly used in English when comparing something to your current expectation.

This phrase is used when you are comparing something to your current expectation. It implies that the actual outcome is different from what you were anticipating.

Examples:

The movie was much better than I expected.
The test was easier than I expected.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 28, 2024

Mar 9, 2011 ... "than I had expected" is correct but "than I expected" won't be correct, because "expecting" was done before "the test" proved more difficult.
1 day ago ... Join. Options. Report. General Grievous, you're shorter than I expected. Bug. r ...
SOS: Better than I expected. Published Feb. 4, 2015; By Capt. Andrew Caulk; 25th Air Force Public Affairs. MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. -- After ...
2 days ago ... Well that turned out better than I expected · Comments Section · Community Info Section · More posts you may like.
More Than I Expected. Video Player. Media error: Format(s) not supported or source(s) not found. Download File: https://dreamruncamp.wpengine.com/wp-content ...
Oct 20, 2016 ... Deep Faith: Deeper (and broader) than I expected. 2016_10_20_amy_e Amy Marie Epp is a pastor and has worked in worship and with children, youth ...
Giving away 480 Raspberry Pis was harder than I expected. June 13, 2024. I gave away 480 Raspberry Pi Picos at Open Sauce last weekend, and ran into a ...
Dec 18, 2020 ... App Pools are more interconnected than I expected · Epicor ERP 10 · appservers, app-pool · JasonMcD (Jason McDermott) December 18, 2020, 12:45pm ...
Sep 1, 2011 ... Why does EnumWindows return more windows than I expected? ... In VC++, I use EnumWindows(...), GetWindow(...), and GetWindowLong(), to get the ...
D2R2: harder than I expected, more fun than I imagined. Gravel, RidingMatthew Vandivort August 18, 2019 Massachusetts, D2R21 Comment. D2R2: harder than I ...

Alternatives:

more than I expected
less than I expected
different than I expected
better than I expected
worse than I expected

than I had expected

This phrase is also correct and commonly used in English when comparing something to a past expectation.

This phrase is used when you are comparing something to a past expectation. It indicates that the actual outcome differed from what you had anticipated in the past.

Examples:

The price was higher than I had expected.
The journey took longer than I had expected.

Show examples from the web [+]
Last updated: October 28, 2024

Mar 9, 2011 ... "than I had expected" is correct but "than I expected" won't be correct, because "expecting" was done before "the test" proved more difficult.
24 hours ago ... Wayfinder is way better than I had expected! I'll be honest the main story doesn't really grab me, but the side content is great. It's a ...
Nov 8, 2020 ... Today after I finished my food a waiter came up to me and asked how the food was. I said: - It was a little better than I had expected.
Jun 21, 2024 ... This game is so much more difficult than I had expected. Discussion. I started playing Ragnarok last week. Hadnt played GOW 2018 in a good ...
Jan 5, 2019 ... Teaching my girl cycling taught me more than I had expected. Report this article
Capron Park Zoo: More than I had expected - See 190 traveler reviews, 88 candid photos, and great deals for Attleboro, MA, at Tripadvisor.
Aug 21, 2012 ... I Guess It Went Better Than I Had Expected…. …especially being rusty (regular season football has been over for nearly eight months), and ...
Feb 13, 2016 ... [lock thread pls community reacted differently than i had expected it's now a flamewar] ; ElGrandoSmokio · romi · Kalibur Ƙℒℬℛ. Member · Feb 14, ...
Apr 21, 2020 ... ... than I had expected," it feels a bit like you were surprised by the fact or by what happened. Using the past participle/past perfect form ...
Aug 19, 2016 ... Stranger Things: A Better Story than I Had Expected. Posted by MadameAce. Sometime last week, I sat down to binge watch the first season of ...

Alternatives:

more than I had expected
less than I had expected
different than I had expected
better than I had expected
worse than I had expected

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