You are welcome to leave

[Macunaíma]

I was wondering if I could say this to someone to mean: "you can leave if you want; we won't miss you" (the "we won't miss you" part is just to make it clear that the other person taking offense is not an issue). It has an ironic ring to it (welcome and leave in the same sentence...) and that's why I find it appealing -as long as it can be understood and is not too aggressive.

Does this sentence sound natural? (not that I expect it to be common, if you know what I mean)

Thanks for taking the time

Macunaíma

 

[bibliolept]

It's not aggressive; it is dismissive. It suggests that you don't care whether the person stays or goes.

 

[Dimcl]

I agree with Bibliolept - it's terribly dismissive and could occasion a nasty quarrel. It's almost impossible to say this sentence without a sneer on your lip and the sarcasm dripping. Obviously, it would depend on the circumstances and the termperments of the parties involved but I think that a lot of people would find it quite "in your face".

 

[panjandrum]

Adding "... we won't miss you," is a deliberate insult.

"You are welcome to leave ..." might just be OK in the right context, though it's hard to work out what that might be.

"You can leave if you want ..." is softer and could arise in contexts where, for example, Bill and his boss are at a meeting together and Bill's wife phones to say the cat is ill. Bill's boss might start a sentence in this way.
The meaning could be either of:
You can leave if you want but if you think your cat is more important than our business then your career with us will be short.
OR
You can leave if you want and I will be able to cope thanks to all the hard work you have put in to prepare us for today I hope your cat is OK.

At the even softer end would be:
"It's OK if you leave ..."