What does it mean word for word?
Literally, ich freue mich darauf, von Ihnen zu hören translates to "I rejoice myself upon it, to hear from you".
Which one should you use?
While ich freue mich darauf, von Ihnen zu hören is a standard way to express this sentiment, you might see other variations depending on the level of formality or the specific tone. For example, Ich würde mich freuen, bald von Ihnen zu hören means "I would be pleased to hear from you soon" and Es wird mich freuen, bald von Ihnen zu hören means "It will please me to hear from you soon". For a more formal and slightly old-fashioned tone in business correspondence, you can use Ich sehe Ihrer Antwort entgegen, which means "I await your reply".
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
The phrase ich freue mich darauf, von Ihnen zu hören is formal. If you are writing to friends or family, you can use the informal version ich freue mich darauf, von dir zu hören or other informal expressions like Ich freue mich schon auf deine Antwort (I'm already looking forward to your reply), Ich bin gespannt auf deine Antwort (I'm curious about your reply) or Ich kann es kaum erwarten, von dir zu hören (I can hardly wait to hear from you!).
How does it change in a sentence?
To make the phrase informal when addressing friends or family, replace the formal pronoun Ihnen with the informal dir, resulting in ich freue mich darauf, von dir zu hören.
Did you know?
- Using Ich sehe Ihrer Antwort entgegen is an extremely formal way to end a letter, effectively telling the recipient 'I am staring at the spot where your answer will appear'.
- If you use the phrase Ich bin gespannt auf deine Antwort with a business partner, you might sound too eager, as it implies you are 'tense' or 'curious' in a way that borders on suspense.
- The German phrase ich freue mich literally means 'I rejoice myself', treating joy as something you do to yourself.
Example conversation
Sarah sends a formal business email to Lukas about a project.
- SarahHier ist mein Angebot für das Projekt.Here is my offer for the project.
- LukasVielen Dank, ich schaue es mir heute an.Thank you, I will look at it today.
- SarahDas klingt gut, ich freue mich darauf, von Ihnen zu hören.That sounds good, I look forward to hearing from you.
- LukasIch schreibe Ihnen morgen eine Antwort.I will write you an answer tomorrow.
