It doesn't always impress you...

My students use the verb impress A LOT. More than they should, really. The problem is that they use the Spanish translation, impresionar, more often for more situations.

In English, we have lots of ways to say "me impesiona" or "me impresionó". And "It impresses me" is NOT always correct.

Situation #1.

You go to a friend's house and see the fattest cat you've ever seen in your life. This does not impress you. This shocks you.

Situation #2.

I visited the Berlin Wall in 2005. It did not impress me. It made a big impression on me.



Situation #3.

My father never cries. But when he crossed the finish line and qualified for the Boston Marthon, he cried. This did not impress me. This moved me.

(I didn't have a picture of my dad crying, but it moves me when Roger cries, too.)

Situation #4.
I met a girl my age who speaks five languages fluently. I heard her speak four of them while I was with her, and YES! This really impressed me.

By the way, someone who speaks 5 languages is pentalingual.

For more information, check out this link: http://www.wordreference.com/es/en/translation.asp?spen=impresionar