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

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j'ai hâte de vous voir
The English phrase "I look forward to seeing you" is translated into French as j'ai hâte de vous voir.
This phrase is a polite expression used to convey that you are excited about meeting someone in the future. While j'ai hâte de… is a common way to express anticipation in spoken French, more formal options like je me réjouis de… are often preferred in professional correspondence.

What does it mean word for word?

Literally, j'ai hâte de vous voir translates to "I have haste to see you".

Which one should you use?

The phrase j'ai hâte de… focuses on expressing excitement and anticipation. For a more colloquial tone, you can say j'ai trop hâte de vous voir, where adding trop (meaning "too much") functions as a way to say "I can't wait".

Is it said differently in some regions?

In Quebec, you may hear j'ai ben hâte de te voir to mean "I'm really looking forward to seeing you". In Switzerland, Je me réjouis de te voir is used to express anticipation and excitement in an informal context.

How does it change in a sentence?

The form of the phrase changes depending on who you are addressing. Use vous voir when you are looking forward to seeing more than one person or when using the formal "you". If you are speaking to a friend or someone you know well, replace vous voir with te voir (e.g., j'ai hâte de te voir).

Did you know?

  • The word hâte in the phrase comes from a Frankish root, making it a Germanic relative rather than a Romance one.
  • In English, 'haste' implies a sense of rushing or speed, but in the French phrase j'ai hâte de…, it purely expresses the feeling of eagerness or impatience.

Examples in context

  • J'ai hâte de vous voir à Noël.
    I look forward to seeing you at Christmas.
    This sentence shows how to use j'ai hâte de vous voir when mentioning a specific time like Christmas.
    Tatoeba #15240 by Barbiche0, translation #62813 by CK
  • J'ai hâte de vous voir ici.
    I look forward to seeing you here.
    This sentence demonstrates the use of j'ai hâte de vous voir to indicate a specific location.
    Tatoeba #13426558 by madjidoumnia, translation #13714265 by zogwarg
  • J'ai hâte de vous voir demain.
    I look forward to seeing you tomorrow.

Example conversation

Emma and Gabriel are arranging a business meeting.

  1. Emma

    Quand voulez-vous vous rencontrer ?
    When would you like to meet?
  2. Gabriel

    Mardi prochain à dix heures me convient.
    Next Tuesday at ten o'clock works for me.
  3. Emma

    C'est parfait, j'ai hâte de vous voir.
    That's perfect, I look forward to seeing you.
  4. Gabriel

    Moi aussi, à mardi !
    Me too, see you Tuesday!

Sources

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Shaun Clifford
Shaun CliffordHelp 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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