How to Say “I Look Forward to Meeting You” in French

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j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer
The English phrase "I look forward to meeting you" can be expressed in French as j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer.
This expression is used to convey that you are excited about meeting someone in the future. Depending on the context, you might also say J'ai hâte de faire votre connaissance to eloquently express eagerness to get to know someone or Je suis impatient(e) de vous rencontrer as a polite and standard way to say you look forward to the meeting.

What does it mean word for word?

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

Which one should you use?

The verb rencontrer implies meeting someone for the first time. If you have already met the person and are looking forward to seeing them again, you should use j'ai hâte de vous voir instead.

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

For very formal written correspondence, such as a business letter, dans l'attente de vous rencontrer is a more professional alternative to j'ai hâte de. The phrase Je suis impatient(e) de vous rencontrer is also considered a polite and standard option for formal settings. Conversely, J'ai trop hâte de te rencontrer is an informal way to express your excitement.

How does it change in a sentence?

When speaking to a friend or someone you know well, you should use j'ai hâte de te rencontrer instead of j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer. The form j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer is used when you are looking forward to meeting more than one person. If using the phrase Je suis impatient(e) de vous rencontrer, use the masculine form Je suis impatient de vous rencontrer if you are male and the feminine form Je suis impatiente de vous rencontrer if you are female.

Did you know?

  • Adding the word trop to j'ai trop hâte transforms the phrase into an informal expression of excitement, even though trop usually means 'too much' or 'excessively'.
  • In many regional dialects of France, such as Norman or Picard, the word for 'you' (the object of your meeting) might appear as vos or even os instead of the standard vous.
  • The word hâte in j'ai hâte de shares a common ancestor with the English word 'haste', though in modern French, it is used to express excitement rather than just speed.

Examples in context

  • J'ai hâte de vous rencontrer demain.
    I look forward to meeting you tomorrow.
  • Monsieur, j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer.
    Sir, I look forward to meeting you.

Example conversation

Emma and Hugo are exchanging emails before a business meeting.

  1. Emma

    Bonjour Hugo, j'ai hâte de vous rencontrer.
    Hello Hugo, I look forward to meeting you.
  2. Hugo

    Moi aussi, Emma, à demain.
    Me too, Emma, see you tomorrow.
  3. Emma

    À demain alors.
    See you tomorrow then.
  4. Hugo

    Au revoir.
    Goodbye.

Sources

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Mark Kieran
Mark KieranHelp 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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