

Blog reader Annemarie asks:
For a while now, I have been wondering whether I should write โI look forward to [doing something]โ or โI’m looking forward to [doing something]โ. In all my English lessons, the first option was clearly the correct one. But lately, I have heard and read the second more and more often. Which should I use?
The distinction is subtle and mostly one of formality. โI look forward toโ is more formal, and typically the way youโd sign off in a business correspondence. It implies that youโre expecting the next action to come from the recipient of your letter or email. โI am looking forward toโ is less formal, and more likely to be the phrase of choice when speaking or writing to a friend. It implies youโre referring to a more definite upcoming event.
Having said that, itโs quite likely that the two phrases will become increasingly interchangeable. Or, more likely still, that โIโm looking forward toโ will be used more often โ particularly in email, which tends to encourage a more informal tone.
So while they are grammatically different (โI look forward [to hearing from you]โ is simple present tense, while โI am looking forward [to hearing from you]โ is present continuous), they are both grammatically correct.
To learn more about how to write professionally and accurately in your business documents, download our free 64-page guide to business writing, The Write Stuff. It distils our very best advice from our 25+ years’ experience trainingย over 80,000 professionals fromย every sector and industry.
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