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selfishness vs. self-interest
I get lost or I got lost
Jun 10, 2004 01:27
20 yrs ago
6 viewers *
English term

I'm totally impressed & that's impressive

Non-PRO English Other Other
The meaning and the different plz.

Tq
Responses
4 +14 I'm totally impressed = feeling impressed; impressive = something that impresses
5 +2 see comment.
4 +1 Both are same
4 Suerely the real difference...

Responses

+14
5 mins
Selected

I'm totally impressed = feeling impressed; impressive = something that impresses

I'm totally impressed refers to a feeling the speaker has. It means that something or someone has made an extremely favourable impression on the speaker. "That's impressive" means a thing or person is of a quality that will probably make a favourable impression on anyone, but doesn't relate quite so much to how the speaker is feeling.
Peer comment(s):
agree Rajan Chopra
0 min
Thanks langclinic.
agree Selcuk Akyuz
1 min
Thanks Selcuk.
agree Andrew Vdovin
4 mins
Thanks Andrew.
disagree Silvina Morelli : Silvina Morelli : I agree with all except the part when Rowan makes reference to the favourable impression. I don´t think this necessarily has a positive connotation
19 mins
Your argument does not impress me.
agree Alexandra Tussing
19 mins
Thanks Alexandra.
agree Vicky Papaprodromou
1 hr
Thanks Vicky.
agree sarahl (X) : wouldn't you agree that "that's impressive" really means "(I think) it's impressive"?
1 hr
Well, there's a fair amount of overlap, but I think there are differences too. "I'm impressed" emphasises that this is how the speaker feels, whereas "that's impressive" could refer to the impression it could make on others as well as the speaker.
agree George Rabel : of course this "impressed" is favourable. "Impressed" by default is alwaya favourable
1 hr
Exactly! Thanks George. I'm impressed! :-)
agree Ramesh Madhavan
1 hr
Thanks Ramesh.
neutral humbird : I agree with
2 hrs
It's only "negative" if the speaker is being sarcastic, but then any positive statement can be made to seem negative with sarcasm.
agree Melanie Nassar : I'm *totally* impressed is rather informal, too, wouldn't you say? Compared to "I'm very impressed", for example. And yes, I think "that's impressive" would almost always be positive.
5 hrs
It does have a slightly informal register, yes. Thanks armaat.
neutral SirReaL : I may very well say "I'm impressed" to show that I am shocked or disturbed. ADDED: I highly regard the superiority of native speakers, Mr. Morrell. However, my possible bias is not toward my native language but toward American English.
6 hrs
I note you're not an English native speaker, and nor are the others who have disputed my answer. Perhaps this illustrates a difference between the way native and non-natives perceive and use this word.
agree Heidi Stone-Schaller : Have to agree with you Rowan in that "I'm impressed" is positive. Something has either made a favorable impression on me or it has had some other positive impact on me-as in "your argument doesn't impress me." Note that many non-natives agreed with you.
7 hrs
Yes, true - thanks Heidrun. I guess I shouldn't be too sweeping in my comments. But still, a person's, uh, impression of impress/impressed/impression may be influenced, consciously or not, by how the equivalent is used in their native language.
agree vixen : with Rowan and armaat
11 hrs
Thanks Vixen.
agree Alfa Trans (X)
15 hrs
Thanks Marju.
agree Julia Gal : Yes. In many languages "impress" can be both positive and negative (in French it can mean "overwhelmed"), however in (UK) English it is invariably positive.
1 day 17 hrs
Aha, thanks for that Julia.
agree nlingua : I'm totally impressed
3 days 5 hrs
Well thanks, nlingua.
agree Milena Sahakian : 1- have an emotional or cognitive impact upon; 2- making a strong or vivid impression
5 days
Thanks Milena.
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "A lil bit of confusion cos too many comments....."
+1
2 hrs

Both are same

Both are essentially same. Only difference is first one speaks speaker's mind, the second one we don't know who is the speaker.
By the way I pressed enter key by mistake when I tried to respond to Rowan, so the message was sent before I completed the sentence. Anyway, I agree with Silvina. The verb "impress" does not necessary mean "favorable" matter. It just mean someone or something left a marked effect on the speaker's or narrator's or observer's mind. Hence it can be something neutral or even negative. To impress is to influence.
Peer comment(s):
neutral Rowan Morrell : If something leaves a bad or negative impression, you say "I'm not impressed" or "That's unimpressive". To say that you are impressed by something means it has impressed you favourably, not unfavourably.
3 hrs
I do not wish to rave at this but one can be impressed by a scale of destruction, ugliness, viciousness, or the kind. One can be influenced by what he/she saw, felt, that left their mind lasting "impression". You're defining the word narrowly.
agree SirReaL : yes, I agree with "to influence"
17 hrs
neutral Julia Gal : In many languages "impress" can be both positive and negative (in French it can mean "overwhelmed"), however in (UK) English it is invariably positive. http://www.chambersharrap.co.uk/chambers/chref/chref.py/main...
1 day 15 hrs
Something went wrong...
+2
6 hrs

see comment.

When I say "I'm totally impressed", i am associating my feelings with the object that i am impressed with. I have declared my own emotions to the listener/third-party about the object.

When I say "That's impressive", there is a certain amount of detachment with the object that caused the impression. Some sort of formal distance between the object under observation and the person making the statement has occured.

So, actually the difference is between informal declaration of one's emotions, versus a formal, almost official, statement.

Peer comment(s):
agree vixen
4 hrs
thanks, vixen :-)
agree Alfa Trans (X)
8 hrs
thanks, Marju :-)
Something went wrong...
8 hrs

Suerely the real difference...

is the age group likely to use either phrase? "Totally" is more often used by younger people - I don't know, maybe up to 30-ish? - to emphasise almost any adjective "That was totally cool/totally awesome/totally the pits" etc - and I have the impression it's more US than UK English. "To total" a car is also to wreck.smash it completely.

"That's (very) impressive" would be a more age-neutral expression in moy opinion. Ican't imagine my age group (shall we say over 50?) using "totally" in this sense - but I/we would say, for example, "the house ws totally destroyed"., "he was totally devastated when he lost his job" etc.
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