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Is the following two sentence correct? And is the translate correct too?:

それ は おそくない くるま です。- That car is not slow.

それ は おそい くるま じゃ ありません。- That car is not slow.

Or has it somthing difference in the meaning?

Which negation is recommended to use?

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    "That car is not slow" isn't actually a very literal translation of either of these sentences. それはおそくないくるまです is "That is a car that isn't slow," while それはおそいくるまじゃありません is "That isn't a slow car." "That car is not slow" would be more like そのくるまはおそくありません.
    – Nanigashi
    Sep 26, 2020 at 18:07

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For:

それ は おそくない くるま です。

the basic sentence is

それは くるま です
That is a car.

But おそくない modifies くるま to give "that is a car which is not slow".

For:

それ は おそい くるま じゃ ありません。

the basic sentence is

それは くるま じゃありません
That is not a car

But おそい modifies くるま to give "that is not a car which is slow".

So the main difference is that in the first sentence you are asserting that it is a car with some property (lack of slowness) and in the second sentence you are asserting that it is not a car with some property (slowness).

Which one to use would depend on what you wanted to emphasise.

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  • I see! Thank you!
    – ZeroProcess
    Sep 26, 2020 at 16:17
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    @ZeroProcess Also, in the second sentence, the thing may not even be a car. While in the first sentence it is definitely a car. For example, an airplane is not a slow car.
    – Pedro A
    Sep 26, 2020 at 18:10

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