How can I say something like "I hate to rain on your parade, but..." In Japanese? If there is no equivalent then kindly teach me how to say "Sorry to disappoint you, but..." Thanks!!!
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1 Answer
If what you're talking about is this:
to do something that spoils someone's plans
We have idioms 水【みず】を差【さ】す and 腰【こし】を折【お】る in Japanese.
水を差して [apology words] …
水を差すようで [apology words] …
水を差すようなことを言って [apology words] …（話の）腰を折って [apology words] …
(... and so forth ...)
while in [apology words] you can fill (in the order from casual to formal):
悪いんだけど、
ごめん（ね）、
申し訳ないけど、
すみませんが、
申し訳ありませんが、
大変申し訳ないのですが、
The difference between the two is, 水を差す is more like spoiling the fun, and 腰を折る is more interrupting the stream.
answered Feb 27, 2016 at 15:44
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Are these commonly used or would they make me sound like an old man? I can never tell between the former and the latter. Commented Feb 27, 2016 at 18:22
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Wow! Great! Thanks so much. Your answer was very helpful. Commented Feb 28, 2016 at 2:23
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@strawberryjam They're not that a young child could say, but you don't need to be too old to use them. Actually, I'm a ゆとり世代 but I expect everyone around me uses and understands these words. Commented Feb 28, 2016 at 6:30