J'ai hâte
In French, "I am looking forward to" is expressed as J'ai hâte.
The phrase is used to express an eager feeling of excitement about a future event. While the English equivalent can be used in professional settings, J'ai hâte is more commonly used in personal or enthusiastic contexts.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase J'ai hâte literally translates to "I have haste".
Which one should you use?
The expression J'ai hâte de is commonly used in informal contexts to convey excitement or anticipation. To add extra enthusiasm, you can use J'ai trop hâte de, which means "I am really looking forward to".
How does it change in a sentence?
When you follow the phrase with a verb, you must use the preposition de before the infinitive, such as in J'ai hâte de… If you follow the phrase with a clause (subject + verb), you must use que followed by the subjunctive mood.
Did you know?
- To express the same feeling in a formal business letter, French speakers typically abandon hâte entirely and use dans l'attente de, which translates to 'while waiting for'.
- In very informal speech, the word trop in J'ai trop hâte literally means 'too much', but it is used here as a positive intensifier similar to 'so' or 'really' in English.
- The word hâte is a linguistic relative of the English word 'haste', and both trace their roots back to the same ancient Germanic origins.
Examples in context
- J'ai hâte d'avoir de tes nouvelles.I am looking forward to hearing from you soon.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase to hear from someone.Tatoeba #9163 by sysko, translation #18776 by CK
- J'ai hâte de te revoir dimanche prochain.I am looking forward to seeing you next Sunday.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase to see someone.Tatoeba #128151 by Aiji, translation #264318 by CN
- J'ai hâte d'avoir de ses nouvelles.I am looking forward to hearing from him.This sentence is useful for practicing the phrase to hear from him.Tatoeba #428878 by mrlem, translation #260008 by CK
- J'ai hâte de vous rencontrer lors de la réunion demain.I am looking forward to meeting you at the meeting tomorrow.
- Je me réjouis de visiter Paris en octobre.I am looking forward to visiting Paris in October.
- J'ai hâte de te voir ce weekend !I am looking forward to seeing you this weekend!
- J'ai trop hâte de voir le concert ce soir !I am really looking forward to seeing the concert tonight!
Example conversation
Nathan and Chloé are talking about their upcoming vacation.
- NathanJ'ai hâte de partir en vacances.I am looking forward to going on vacation.
- ChloéMoi aussi, ce sera génial !Me too, it will be great!
- NathanTu as déjà fait tes valises ?Have you already packed your bags?
- ChloéPas encore, je le ferai demain.Not yet, I will do it tomorrow.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hâte, j'ai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
