「～といわない」/「～といわないでも」- Expressing Partial Acceptance

Explanation

In Japanese, ～といわない and ～といわないでも are grammatical structures used to express that something, while having some flaws or issues, is still acceptable. They are used to describe situations where something is not perfect but not so bad as to be completely unacceptable.

Grammar Pattern

Grammar Point	Connection	Explanation
Verb Plain Form + といわない/といわないでも	Verb Plain Form + といわない/といわないでも	Indicates that while an action has some shortcomings, it is not entirely unacceptable.
い-Adjective Plain Form + といわない/といわないでも	い-Adjective Plain Form + といわない/といわないでも	Indicates that while something described by an い-adjective has some flaws, it is not entirely unacceptable.
Noun + といわない/といわないでも	Noun + といわない/といわないでも	Indicates that while something referred to by a noun has some flaws, it is not entirely unacceptable.

Basic Usage

～といわない and ～といわないでも are used to express that something, while having some negative aspects, is not completely unacceptable. This structure is often used to soften criticism and avoid being overly harsh.

• 辛からいが、食たべられないといわないといわない。
• Karai ga, taberarenai to iwanai.
• It's spicy, but I wouldn't say it's inedible.
  

Deep Dive

Basic Concept

The basic concept of this grammar structure is to express that while something has some shortcomings, it is not entirely unacceptable. For example, a dish might be a bit spicy, but not so spicy that it's impossible to eat.

• このこの映画えいがは面白おもしろくないといわないでもといわないでも、もう一度見みたいとは思おもわない。
• Kono eiga wa omoshirokunai to iwanai demo, mou ichido mitai to wa omowanai.
• I wouldn't say this movie is uninteresting, but I don't feel like watching it again.
  

Points to Note

It's important to note that this grammar structure is used to express a degree of inadequacy rather than complete negation. Therefore, it should be used carefully to avoid misunderstandings.

• このこのレポートレポートは完璧かんぺきとはいわないが、合格ごうかくには値あたいする。
• Kono repooto wa kanpeki to wa iwanai ga, goukaku ni wa atai suru.
• I wouldn't say this report is perfect, but it's good enough to pass.
  

Real-Life Scenarios

Here are some practical scenarios and example conversations to help understand and use this grammar structure:

• 彼かれの料理りょうりは美味おいしいといわないでもといわないでも、食たべられる。
• Kare no ryouri wa oishii to iwanai demo, taberareru.
• His cooking isn't exactly delicious, but it's edible.
  

• このこの部屋へやは広ひろいといわないでもといわないでも、住すむには十分じゅうぶんだ。
• Kono heya wa hiroi to iwanai demo, sumu ni wa juubun da.
• This room isn't exactly spacious, but it's enough to live in.
  

• A: このこの本ほんはどう思おもう？
• A: Kono hon wa dou omou?
• A: What do you think of this book?
• B: 面白おもしろいといわないでもといわないでも、読むよむ価値かちはあると思おもう。
• B: Omoshiroi to iwanai demo, yomu kachi wa aru to omou.
• B: I wouldn't say it's interesting, but I think it's worth reading.
  

• A: 旅行りょこうはどうだった？
• A: Ryokou wa dou datta?
• A: How was the trip?
• B: 楽たのしいといわないでもといわないでも、リフレッシュリフレッシュできたよ。
• B: Tanoshii to iwanai demo, rifuresshu dekita yo.
• B: I wouldn't say it was fun, but I did feel refreshed.
  

Summary

～といわない and ～といわないでも are used to express that something, while having some flaws, is not entirely unacceptable. They are often used to soften criticism and are flexible in everyday conversations.