Here's a breakdown:

* Velocity is a vector quantity, meaning it has both magnitude (speed) and direction.

* Positive and negative directions are arbitrary. You choose one direction to be positive, and the opposite is then negative.

* Example: If you define "moving to the right" as positive, then "moving to the left" would be negative.

It's important to remember:

* Negative velocity does not mean the object is slowing down.

* An object can have negative velocity and still be speeding up (if its acceleration is in the same direction as the velocity).

In summary: Negative velocity simply indicates the direction of motion relative to a chosen positive direction. It doesn't say anything about the object's speed or whether it's accelerating or decelerating.