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 • 38017 views

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

"than I expected"

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

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

"than I had expected"

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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than I expected vs than I had expected

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"than I had expected"

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