I have no gut OR I have no heart?

[flytothesky]

Hi~ Would you help me how to say this naturally please?

A: You have been loved here blindly for 1year. Why don’t you just ask her out and have a dinner together or something? I fell so sorry for you man.

B: I have no gut to do that.
Or, I have no heart to do that.

[pyoung]

Dear fly:

I don't have the guts to do that. = I don't have the courage to do that.

Also possible: I don't have the nerve.

To say 'I don't have the heart to do that,' has a different connotation. It often means 'I couldn't do that because it would be too hurtful.'

For example, B finally works up the nerve to ask her out. She accepts. Later, she is talking to a friend:
She: B asked me to dinner. I said I'd go, but I don't really want to.
Friend: Then why didn't you just say no?
She: I just didn't have the heart to disappoint him.

I hope this is helpful,

Petra

[flytothesky]

Oh~~ Thanks a lot~~

I understood 100% through your example !

Now I got to kow how to use it and when can use it!

[BobK]

In Br English, 'not having the guts' suggests that the speaker is contemptuous. So 'You/he/she/it/you/they haven't got the guts' is more common than 'I/we haven't got the guts' - though 'We haven't got the guts' is more likely then "I", as the speaker may be suggesting contempt for his or her leaders; and 'I haven't got the guts' is possible if the speaker has low self-esteem ('I'm a real yellow-belly - I just don't have the guts')!

So I think in your conversation 'I haven't got the nerve'' is more likely. Or just 'I don't/wouldn't [either is possible] dare'; or even 'I'd never be able to pluck up the courage'.

b

PS - I really like Petra's 'haven't the heart' example.

[pyoung]

Dear BobK:

In Br English, 'not having the guts' suggests that the speaker is contemptuous. So 'You/he/she/it/you/they haven't got the guts' is more common than 'I/we haven't got the guts' - though 'We haven't got the guts' is more likely then "I", as the speaker may be suggesting contempt for his or her leaders; and 'I haven't got the guts' is possible if the speaker has low self-esteem ('I'm a real yellow-belly - I just don't have the guts')!

Thanks so much for this. I was totally unaware of this different usage/shading/connotation. Knowing it could help me keep my foot out of my mouth!

Petra

[Tdol]

You also not have the stomach for something, which is far less contemptuous.