I was dating this guy then I broke up with him. Now he thinks we are going out again how do I let him off softly what do I say I don't want him to be mad at me. What do I do??

Why does he think you're going out again? If you dump a guy, the words should be pretty clear. If he mistakenly thinks things are back on with you, just remind him they aren't. His getting mad or not is irrelevant.

It is often not easy and a person may be hurt, but it is better to be clear than to let it become something it is not

Just tell his what comes up at your head or skip the date just make something up or say you found a lucky man in myspace if you have one.

I second that, why does he think you guys are going out again. Were you letting him on because you seen how upset he got? The thing is sometimes soft and gentle approach sends the wrong message. You need to be straight forward and honest and no matter what you do this may hurt this person. You will be hurting this person a lot more if you wait and wait and wait. End it now. Be direct. Tell the truth.