Look forward or Looking forward ?

Language Corner
1
I have always trouble with the "look forward" sentence in emails or letters.

I've seen so many versions that I don't know anymore at the end what's right. I will ask here the collective intelligence to give us the answer in a poll.

I look forward to meeting you

I look forward to meet you

I am looking forward to meeting you

I am looking forward to meet you

2
For me first and third options imply the same meaning - both being present forms of the verb to look - and interchangeable.

I look/I am looking are equal in meaning and use, is what I remember learning.

I don't know if modern protocol prefers one over the other. I think I tend to use: "I am looking forward .... (obviously "meeting" )", because for me, it comes across a little softer/warmer.

(so I haven't voted) - I've now voted twice (didn't realise I could).

3
I agree 100%

(so I voted for both)

4
Option #1 for me. The only possible alternative would be #3, but using the present continous in this context makes you sound like a non-English speaker.

5
I agree - either "I look" or "I am looking" is fine, but it needs "meeting", not "meet" afterwards.

6
Seriously? I'm looking forward to reading your explanation why.

7
Firstly: "meeting", not meet, so options 2 and 4 bite the dust.

Secondly, "I look forward to meeting you" sounds slightly more formal than "I'm looking forward to meeting you" (or "I am looking ..."). Hence, I always use the former ("I look forward ...") in business correspondence. In SMSs and casual emails, though, I tend to write "Looking forward to meeting you".

Hope this serves to obfuscate further. Or should that be "Hoping ..."?

8
I look forward to meeting you: cooler sounding

I'm looking forward to meeting you: warmer sounding

Both are correct.

The rule: look forward to + infinitive + ing

Students are taught that after "to", the base form of the verb is used (to see, to go, etc.). However, English has many exceptions and this is one of them.

I'm looking forward to meet ing you.

9
Or American. I'd be more inclined to use #1 myself, but I see and hear #3 an awful lot more than #1. I think it sounds awkward due to the two gerunds.

10
#1 is right.

#3 and #4 are right when an Indian says them, with a proper Indian accent.

(I am Indian )

11
only if you shake head while saying it

12
Well, PaddyG did say a non-English speaker.

13
Really weird - here I, personally, would write: "I look forward to reading .... ", for a stronger effect.

So I would sum up that each is used regarding on the perceived implication of the statement that is required - soft/hard; warm/cold.

But that's just how it appears to me.

14
I concur with many of the posters, including 22%20yards*, above.

2 and 4 are wrong. 1 is more formal than 3 hence I'd use 1 in an email.

* Never really noticed the dodgy space in your user ID before.

15
Shhh.

So would I normally.

16
I am no linguistic expert and I agree with you totally, to clarify the to in look forward to is not the same as to in the inifinitive form of the verb. The actual verb here is [ to look forward to ] and hence it should be used as is, the reason why meeting you is in progressive / continuous form is because it happens over an extended period of time.

The general form is I look forward to [something or do ing something].

e.g. I look forward to hearing from you.

I look forward to your visit in September.

Using I am looking forward to is poor grammar in my opinion.

17
Aside from the accent, it's getting much harder to tell the difference anymore. I am frequently scandalised when reading stories on the BBC as their proofreading has really become sloppy, too. No longer is the UK quite so much more superior than the colonies when it comes to the language.

Besides, it's not our fault Webster had to go and screw up the spellings, etc. just to differentiate it from the Queen's English. Thankfully, English is one of the most forgiving languages due to its lax rules.

18
Why? "I'm looking forward to" refers to your current state of mind. It seems perfectly correct to me.

To complicate things further, I've also used "I'll look forward to..." in the past too.

19
It really is quite simple. Both (1 & 3) are correct, but one requires less typing - guess which is used more frequently...

HTH

20
I can't really explain it, but when you write it or read it doesn't sound right if there are two continueous verbs in the same sentence.

I would use something like "I am very much looking forward to your visit" or something along those lines when I am speaking informally however when it's a formal letter I will never write I am looking forward to hearing from you. Two continuous verbs in one sentence is a no no...

This is also ok informally, I also used that let's say somone says "BBQ on Sunday?" "Yeh sure, I'll look forward to that then!" or even "I'll be looking forward to that then" It's not 100% but just sounds ok...