To leave words unsaid

Question

Yesterday, or the day before, I tried to reply to one of our friend Ray's philosophical questions.

I wanted to say:

It would have been better if we had left these words unsaid.

My efforts were on these lines: Hubiera sido mejor si hubieramos dejado estas palabras sin decir..

I'm not happy with this, nor with the automatic tranlators' suggetions:

Please does anybody know what a Spanishspeaker would actually say;

Ojalá que me hubiera mordido la lengua.. ( does that work?)

Sadly, it's a feeling we all have after a quarrel and I would like to know how to convey it.

Help would be much appreciated. Gracias de antemano.

Answer 1

Algunas posibilidades más:

"Habría sido mejor (que nos hubiéramos callado, y) que no nos hubiéramos dicho esas cosas".

Y sí, la opción que propones de la lengua, suena perfectamente: "Ojalá me hubiera mordido la lengua".

O algo similar:

"Ojalá me hubiera quedado callada/calladita".

"No debería haber dicho (nada de) lo que te dije".

"Ojalá no nos hubiéramos hablado así".

Gracias, Cordobesa, me gusta ' Ojalá me hubiera quedado callada'. Muchas gracias. - annierats, Jul 10, 2013

Congratulations Cordobesa! - pmikan-pam, Jul 10, 2013

Answer 2

Maybe the English can be re-worded.

It would have been better if we had not said these words. (Not so "poetic" in my opinion though)

Hubiera sido mejor si no hubieramos dicho estas palabras.

Maybe it would have been better if you had bitten my tongue instead of speaking.

Thank you Ian, good suggestion. I shall wait and hope a native comes up with whatever expression is used.. - annierats, Jul 10, 2013

I'm a native:) - ian-hill, Jul 10, 2013

Lol, are you really?Of Bolivia, I take it?? - annierats, Jul 11, 2013

Answer 3

Habría sido mejor si hubieramos dejado estas palabras no dichas.

Gracias, Julian. - annierats, Jul 10, 2013