contextual
How do I say ‘I don’t feel like it’?
A natural soft refusal pattern, but it normally needs an action after 想.
我不太想……
I don’t really feel like...
LITERAL
I do not very much want to.
WHAT IT REALLY MEANS
I don’t really feel like...
WHEN IT FITS
Politely declining a casual suggestionSaying you lack desire without giving a strong reasonUsed before a verb such as 去, 吃, or 说
Chinese often softens a negative with 不太, literally “not very.” It does not make the answer positive; it makes the refusal less confrontational.
Use 没心情 only when mood is central. It can imply that something is wrong emotionally.
HOW PEOPLE ACTUALLY SAY IT
今晚要不要出去？我不太想去。
Want to go out tonight? I don’t really feel like going.
Soft refusal between friends这件事我现在不太想说。
I don’t really want to talk about this right now.
Setting a conversational boundaryCHOOSE BY SITUATION
我不想
I don’t want to.
You want to be firmer and more direct我没心情
I’m not in the mood.
Your emotional state is the reason