How to Say “I Look Forward” in French

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j'ai hâte
In French, "I look forward" is expressed as j'ai hâte.
The phrase is used to express excitement and anticipation about a future event. While it translates well to "I look forward to", it often carries a stronger sense of excitement, much like the English expression "I can't wait".

What does it mean word for word?

The phrase j'ai hâte literally translates to "I have haste" or "I have eagerness".

Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?

j'ai hâte is used in informal settings. For more formal contexts, you can use Je me réjouis à l'idée de… to explicitly express excitement or J'attends avec impatience… to emphasize eagerness, which is common in formal written correspondence. In professional business correspondence, specifically when waiting for a reply, it is standard to use dans l'attente de (for example, Dans l'attente de votre réponse).

How does it change in a sentence?

To express that you look forward to performing an action yourself, use the structure j'ai hâte de followed by the infinitive of the verb. If the person you are looking forward to seeing or hearing from is different from yourself, you must use j'ai hâte que followed by a verb in the subjunctive mood.

Did you know?

  • The word hâte is a distant relative of the English word 'haste', but while 'haste' in English often implies a rushed or careless action, hâte in this phrase focuses purely on the emotional desire for the event to arrive.
  • The word hâte comes from the Frankish word *hai(f)st, showing that this expression of eagerness has roots in the Germanic languages that influenced early French.
  • While j'ai hâte is used for excitement, the formal dans l'attente de is so standardized in business that using the more emotional j'ai hâte in a professional email can come across as overly childish or impulsive.

Examples in context

  • J'ai hâte de te voir danser.
    I look forward to watching you dance.
    This sentence is useful for expressing the anticipation of seeing someone dance using j'ai hâte.
    Tatoeba #6849854 by GB3, translation #6849407 by CK
  • J'ai hâte de parler avec toi.
    I look forward to speaking with you.
    This sentence is useful for expressing the anticipation of speaking with someone using j'ai hâte.
    Tatoeba #6575471 by GB3, translation #6575246 by Eccles17
  • J'ai hâte de vous voir à Noël.
    I look forward to seeing you at Christmas.
    This sentence is useful for expressing the anticipation of seeing someone at Christmas using j'ai hâte.
    Tatoeba #15240 by Barbiche0, translation #62813 by CK
  • J'ai hâte de vous rencontrer à la conférence.
    I look forward to meeting you at the conference.
  • Je me réjouis à l'idée de travailler sur ce projet avec vous.
    I look forward to working on this project with you.
  • J'attends avec impatience votre réponse.
    I look forward to your response.
  • J'ai hâte de te voir ce soir.
    I look forward to seeing you tonight.
  • J'ai trop hâte de voir la surprise que tu m'as préparée.
    I'm really looking forward to seeing the surprise you've prepared for me.
  • 6 more sentences on Tatoeba

Example conversation

Two friends are talking about a concert they will attend together.

  1. Chloé

    J'ai hâte d'aller au concert ce soir !
    I look forward to going to the concert tonight!
  2. Nathan

    Moi aussi, ça va être génial.
    Me too, it's going to be great.
  3. Chloé

    Tu as déjà pris tes billets ?
    Did you already get your tickets?
  4. Nathan

    Oui, je les ai sur mon téléphone.
    Yes, I have them on my phone.

Sources

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Ava Jessie
Ava JessieHelp make this guide better. Spot a mistake, know another way to say it, or have an example from real life? Share it below.
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