Most natural way to use the negative with つもり


Which is more natural to say in Japanese? Do they have slightly different
connotations?

  * 食べないつもりです。 (I intend not to eat.)
  * 食べるつもりはないです。 (I do not intend to eat.)

Also, are those translations fairly accurate?




They have different structures as you've translated, and both forms are used
as often as the other unlike English. If I reword them to be clearer:

  * 食べないつもりです = _I have an intention that: "I'm not going to eat (it)"_
  * 食べるつもりはないです = _I have no such intention that: "I'm going to eat (it)"_

...and don't forget:

  * 食べるつもり（では／じゃ）ないです = _I don't have an intention that: "I'm going to eat (it)"_

which is the negative of 食べるつもりです in the usual sense i.e. negation of the
verb.

As you can see, 食べないつもり（だ） is used when you have a definite will not to do it.
On the other hand, the interpretation of 食べるつもりはない is open to what you want to
contrast/emphasize using は in each context:

  * > A: 冷蔵庫においしそうなケーキがありますよ。  
>  _Hey, there's a nice cake in the fridge._  
>  B: パーティー用なので食べないでくださいね。  
>  _It's for the party so don't eat it._  
>  A: あ、食べるつもりはないです。  
>  _Oh, I didn't mean it._ (= It's not that I intend to eat it.)

  * > A: フグ食べたくないですか？  
>  _Don't you want to eat[fugu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu)?_  
>  B: 毒が怖いので食べるつもりはないです。  
>  _I'm never going to eat it because I don't want to be poisoned._

Further reading:

  * [日本語教育通信 文法を楽しく つもり（１）](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/teach/tsushin/grammar/201212.html)
  * [日本語教育通信 文法を楽しく つもり（２）](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/teach/tsushin/grammar/201303.html)




They have different structures as you've translated, and both forms are used
as often as the other unlike English. If I reword them to be clearer:

  * 食べないつもりです = _I have an intention that: "I'm not going to eat (it)"_
  * 食べるつもりはないです = _I have no such intention that: "I'm going to eat (it)"_

...and don't forget:

  * 食べるつもり（では／じゃ）ないです = _I don't have an intention that: "I'm going to eat (it)"_

which is the negative of 食べるつもりです in the usual sense i.e. negation of the
verb.

As you can see, 食べないつもり（だ） is used when you have a definite will not to do it.
On the other hand, the interpretation of 食べるつもりはない is open to what you want to
contrast/emphasize using は in each context:

  * > A: 冷蔵庫においしそうなケーキがありますよ。  
>  _Hey, there's a nice cake in the fridge._  
>  B: パーティー用なので食べないでくださいね。  
>  _It's for the party so don't eat it._  
>  A: あ、食べるつもりはないです。  
>  _Oh, I didn't mean it._ (= It's not that I intend to eat it.)

  * > A: フグ食べたくないですか？  
>  _Don't you want to eat[fugu](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fugu)?_  
>  B: 毒が怖いので食べるつもりはないです。  
>  _I'm never going to eat it because I don't want to be poisoned._

Further reading:

  * [日本語教育通信 文法を楽しく つもり（１）](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/teach/tsushin/grammar/201212.html)
  * [日本語教育通信 文法を楽しく つもり（２）](https://www.jpf.go.jp/j/project/japanese/teach/tsushin/grammar/201303.html)

