Sort of like, "you're very smart and I love the way you phrased your argument, but I think that maybe there might be something off with the such and such...?"
From my experience, it's more like..............
"I don't want to hurt you"...............should really mean "I'm going to do what I want to do whether you like it or not, and you can either accept me for that or not.
"I usually don't do that" or "I've never been one to do that" = Don't ask again because I'm not going to do that.
"Emotional padding" is a good phrase in my opinion. Things that they disagree with or don't like are often presented in a very politically correct or non-offensive way. You learn, in time, that when they give a hint that they don't like something or if they seem a little bit uncomfortable with something, you should assume that they are very against it. They are very non-confrontational. They want to tell you what they want/need/think in a very polite way and they expect you to get it.
This is simply an example, but if an INFP said, "You never take out the trash." That should be understood as, "I really think you should begin to take out the trash on a regular basis. In fact, I think it should be your job from now on." Because, in this example, if you started getting in the habit of taking out the trash and then stopped again, they may get a little more upset. And when you say, "Gosh, you never expressed how important it was to you. Why are you so upset?", then they might respond with, "What do you mean...I brought it up to you once before. I did tell you." When, in fact, they just made a simple statement that you didn't take very seriously because it may have seemed that it was just said "in passing" or in a very "light" way.
What's strange to me about INFP's is they are wonderful, classy, curious (I'll even say AMAZING people), but they are going to hold to their values no matter what you think or what your reasoning is. I used to argue with my INFP ex about a certain situation that was hurting her over and over - a recurring problem in her life. She saw the logic in my argument, but her loyalty/values made her go against that logic and while she was very sweet, classy, and polite in explaining her actions, she WAS NOT going to be told what to do.
Basically, with a sweet charming smile she'd say, "Yeah, I see your reasoning. It totally seems right in my mind, but my heart just tells me otherwise. And it stresses me out to talk about it." -------> I learned that this meant, "I'm going to do whatever I choose to do. I thank you for your input, I value your opinion, now get off my back."
If they HINT at something, they mean it (IME). But, to them, it wasn't hinting. They explained it fully.