Look forward to

Looking forward to

“Look forward to” is a very common expression that we use when talking about the future. And we most often use it when we’re happy or excited about something that will happen in the future.

“I’m looking forward to my vacation” or “I’m looking forward to going to the movies this weekend.” These both mean that something good is coming and I’m happy about it. Not everything in the future is happy. You might also say, “I’m not looking forward to preparing my taxes this year.”

“Look forward to” can also be neutral. So if you get a formal letter from someone, you might see “look forward to” in the letter—and I’ll show you exactly what that means, too.

Positive anticipation

Let’s start with the most common way to use “look forward to”—to express happiness or excitement about something in the future. This could be an event, an activity, or even a time of the year.

What might you be happy about in the future? Friday! How about that? This is something you hear in the workplaces all around the English-speaking world. Thursday comes, Friday morning comes. People say to their colleagues, “I’m looking forward to the weekend.”

That means, something good is going to happen. We’re going to be happy when the weekend comes. So if someone says, “I’m looking forward to the weekend.” You might reply and ask, “Oh yeah? Why?” And the colleague might tell you why he’s looking forward to the weekend. Maybe he has big plans; maybe he just wants to rest. Either way, he’s happy about something that’s coming.

Are you a movie fan? You might keep track of the movies that are scheduled to come out. You might say, “I’m looking forward to seeing the new Wicked movie.” People were saying that in 2024 and they’ll be saying it again later in 2025, when the second Wicked movie comes out. “I’m looking forward to seeing the movie” means, you’re going to see the movie in the future and you’re happy about it.

How old is your phone? I tend to plan my phone purchases. I’m not an impulse buyer with technology. I want to keep a phone for a minimum of three years. Once, I kept a phone for four and half years. The battery ran out quickly, the operations were slow, it didn’t have the latest features. Right around the middle of year three, I started saying, “I’m looking forward to upgrading this phone.”

I knew it was going to happen. And I was anticipating it. I was thinking ahead to how happy I would be when I got that new phone. I was looking forward to upgrading my phone.

Finally, consider the seasons. Do you live in a place with seasonal weather? I did for most of my life. After a long, cold winter, I used to really enjoy the warmer weather. I lived in Chicago, where the winters are cold and long. And in March, and then in April, and then sometimes even in May, I would say, “I’m looking forward to the nice weather.” I knew it was coming—it always comes later than you want it to in Chicago—but I knew the warmer weather was coming. So I’d say, “I’m looking forward to the nice weather” or “I’m looking forward to summer.”

‘Really’ or ‘so’ looking forward to

Now here’s a quick variation. You can say, “I’m really looking forward to” something or “I’m so looking forward to” something. That’s great if you want to emphasize how happy you are that this thing is going to happen.

If you’re a big fan of musicals and you’ve seen Wicked live, you might say, “I’m really looking forward to the new Wicked movie.” That emphasizes how much you’re looking forward to it—a lot.

“I’m so looking forward to seeing you!” That’s what you might say if you’re about to see someone important in your life, maybe after not seeing him or her for a long time. If you say, “I’m so looking forward to,” it adds some emotion. It’s not about excitement—you’re not jumping up and down—but you feel really good about seeing the other person. “I’m so looking forward to seeing you.”

Looking forward to it

You can shorten this expression and just say, “I’m looking forward to it.” And you can say that when the thing in the future is already known from the context of the conversation. This is a great thing to use when you’re confirming plans. You might make plans for dinner on a Saturday; you might make those plans on a Tuesday. On Friday, your friend might text you, “Just confirming our dinner tomorrow. See you at 8!” And you might reply, “I’m looking forward to it” or simply, “Looking forward to it.”

Or, if you’re saying goodbye, a friend or family member might remind you of the next time you’re going to see each other. Maybe you’re going to a football game the next week. Your relative might say, “See you at the game next week” and you can say, “Looking forward to it.”

Not looking forward to

A game sounds fun, right? A party sounds fun, a movie is fun. But not everything that happens in the future is positive. And when something negative is in your future, you can say, “I’m not looking forward to…”

The new year is an exciting time of year, right? New beginnings, new possibilities. But after the parties end, residents of the United States face a really bad thing. We have to do our taxes. That means, we need to prepare reports to the government showing how much money we made the previous year, how much we paid in taxes, and whether we need to pay more.

That all has to happen by April 15. So you might say, “I’m not looking forward to doing my taxes this year.” That’s the opposite of “looking forward to.” That’s opposite of going to see Wicked. That’s something that’s coming in your future, but you’re not happy about it. “I’m not looking forward to doing my taxes this year.”

Parties are fun, right? Ummmm. Well, not every party is fun. Sometimes, you’re obligated to go to a party, but you really don’t want to go. Maybe someone that you don’t get along with will be there. Maybe it’s just going to be uncomfortable. Maybe you’re an introvert like me and there will be a lot of strangers. Whatever the situation, you can say, “I’m not looking forward to this party.”

Neutral anticipation

There is one more way to use “look forward to” and that is in formal communication. Often, when you close a formal letter or when you end a formal conversation, you say “look forward to” and the next thing that will happen. And this is a polite way to close a conversation or a letter.

Imagine a city government wants to build a new park. They need an architect to design the park. One architect made a good proposal, but the city sends a letter back asking for some modifications to the proposal and a lower price. The city wants a response. So the city might say at the end of the letter, “We are looking forward to your response.”

This is neutral. The city is not expressing happiness here. The city is just saying, “We want you to respond. We will be watching for your response. We’re looking forward to your response.”

In formal settings like this, you might also see “look forward to.” Someone might say, “I look forward to meeting you next week.” Or, if you have just had a successful meeting, you might say, “I look forward to our next meeting.” That’s a polite way of confirming that there will be a next meeting.

“I look forward to seeing your report” is something you might say, too, if you’re expecting to get a report from someone in a formal setting. And in settings like this, just as a reminder, “look forward to” or “looking forward to” is not about happiness or joy. It’s just a polite way of acknowledging something will happen in the future; there will be a next step.

Grammar note

Let’s close on a quick grammar note with “looking forward to.” You can be looking forward to a thing or an action.

If you’re looking forward to a thing, just say, “I’m looking forward to” and then the thing. “I’m looking forward to the party” or “I’m looking forward to the movie.”

If you’re looking forward to an action, you use an -ing verb. “I’m looking forward to seeing you” or “I’m looking forward to reading a new book this weekend.”

Let’s take a quick look back at what you learned in this lesson. “Looking forward to” is most often used to express positive anticipation. Something good is going to happen. “I’m looking forward to the new Wicked movie” or “I’m looking forward to the party.” But if something bad is going to happen, you can say, “I’m not looking forward to it.”

You might see “looking forward to” or “look forward to” in formal communication like a business letter or in a formal meeting or call. That doesn’t express happiness. It’s more of a neutral acknowledgement of something that will or should happen in the future.

And remember, you can be looking forward to an action or a thing. If you’re looking forward to a thing, say, “I’m looking forward to,” plus the thing. But if it’s an action that’s coming, say, “I’m looking forward to” and then put an -ing verb, like, “I’m looking forward to listening to a new episode of my favorite English learning podcast.”