Cases where both can be used?

Question

Elle n'attend pas grand-chose de lui. 
Elle ne s'attend pas à grand-chose de lui.
Are both above phrases correct? If yes, do they mean differently?
She doesn't expect much of him.

Answer

Bonjour Arash !

That's an interesting case.
Both these sentences are correct, but their meanings are quite different, though tricky to explain :)
"Elle n'attend pas grand-chose de lui." would actually be the preferred way to say "She doesn't expect much from him." in French. That's the one we would use colloquially, as a statement.

As for "Elle ne s'attend pas à grand-chose de lui.", it feels like she is in a *tense* state of expectancy, like his action is imminent... It's really hard to explain, but it feels off to my French ears, and we would just not use this structure at all.

I hope that's helpful!
À bientôt !