In the sense of "I don't want to say ___" or "can't say". E.g. 悪い事いわない.

Can you use 言えない instead? Any difference in subtlety? Or is this strictly only
for really being unable to physically say something (e.g. mouth gagged) as
compared to being unable to comment on something one is uncertain about?
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2018-03-28T15:08:27.373
57577
2018-03-28T15:37:21.110
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question
meaning nuances
とは言わない　ｖｓ　とは言えない？違いは？ To wa Iwanai vs To wa Ienai differences?
Generally, 言えない is just "(someone) cannot say something", and 言わない is just
"(someone) doesn't/won't say it". The reason for 言えない can be anything; it can
be physical, mechanical, mental or social.

Specifically,
[悪いことは言わない](http://jisho.org/word/%E6%82%AA%E3%81%84%E3%81%93%E3%81%A8%E3%81%AF%E8%A8%80%E3%82%8F%E3%81%AA%E3%81%84)
is an idiomatic set phrase you need to remember. This 言わない is not
interchangeable with 言えない.

悪いことは言えない is of course grammatical, too, but it's not an idiomatic expression
at all. It just means "I cannot speak ill of (someone/something)." For
example, if you're a professional athlete sponsored by a company, you may want
to say スポンサーについて悪いことは言えない. This is an example of 言えない for a social reason.
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2018-03-28T15:31:53.960
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2018-03-28T15:37:21.110
2018-03-28T15:37:21.110
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answer