"Don't say it, if you don't want to" in Japanese


Don't say it, if you don't want to.

You don't have to say it, if you don't want to.

How do I convey these in Japanese correctly?

My idea is 言えないこと言ってないもいいです。

But I am really confused by verb conjugation here.

Don't say it = iwanai? ienai?

Don't want to say = ienai? But then it would mean 'I can't say'....

Could you please help in both translation and explanation for these two
conjugation forms.




> 言いたくないなら、言わなくてもいい  
>  _lit._ If you don't want to say it, you don't have to say it.

Some comments:

  * The "don't have to"-form is ~て+もいい, i.e. you have to form the ~て form of the i-adjective 言わない, which is the correct negative for the verb (and not 言ってない).
  * The English leaves out the verb the second time, which can't be done in Japanese.
  * なら is just one option for "if" (which I think fits best). Other ways to say it would be

> 言いたくなければ、…  
>  言いたくなかったら、…

  * 言えない means indeed "can't say" Your (slightly corrected) sentence means

> 言えないことを言わなくてもいい  
>  Things you can't say, you don't have to say.




> 言いたくないなら、言わなくてもいい  
>  _lit._ If you don't want to say it, you don't have to say it.

Some comments:

  * The "don't have to"-form is ~て+もいい, i.e. you have to form the ~て form of the i-adjective 言わない, which is the correct negative for the verb (and not 言ってない).
  * The English leaves out the verb the second time, which can't be done in Japanese.
  * なら is just one option for "if" (which I think fits best). Other ways to say it would be

> 言いたくなければ、…  
>  言いたくなかったら、…

  * 言えない means indeed "can't say" Your (slightly corrected) sentence means

> 言えないことを言わなくてもいい  
>  Things you can't say, you don't have to say.

