Breakdown of Не то чтобы их роман поверхностный, а он просто меня не впечатлил.
не
not
он
he / it (for a masculine noun) / it (for a neuter noun)
а
and (contrastive)
я
I
их
their
роман
novel
просто
simply, just
чтобы
in order to
не то чтобы
part of the phrase 'не то чтобы' (not that / not exactly)
поверхностный
superficial
впечатлить
to impress
Questions & Answers about Не то чтобы их роман поверхностный, а он просто меня не впечатлил.
How does the structure не то чтобы ..., а ... work in this sentence, and why use а instead of но?
This structure is used to correct a potential assumption. You are saying the issue isn't [A], but rather [B]. We use а instead of но because this is a direct substitution of one idea with another. You are replacing the idea of the novel being superficial with the reality of it simply not impressing you.
Could роман mean a romantic relationship here instead of a book?
Yes, absolutely! The word роман means both a "novel" and a "romance" or "love affair." Without wider context, this sentence could just as easily be translated as "Not that their romance is superficial..."
Why is the verb "to be" missing from the first clause (их роман поверхностный)?
As a reminder, Russian generally drops the present tense verb "to be" (is/are). Even though the clause is embedded in the complex не то чтобы structure, this basic rule still applies, leaving us with just the subject (роман) and its adjective (поверхностный).
Why is the perfective verb впечатлил used here? Didn't the reading happen over a period of time?
Even though reading takes time, впечатлил (the past tense of впечатлить) is perfective here because it focuses on the final result. You are stating the overall outcome of the experience: it ultimately failed to leave an impression on you.
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