mirar hacia adelante
/miɾaɾ aθja adelante/from spelling rules
To look forward in Spanish is mirar hacia adelante.
The phrase mirar hacia adelante is used to describe the physical action of directing one's gaze toward the space in front of them.
Which one should you use?
There is a distinction between the physical and idiomatic meanings of the English phrase. Mirar hacia adelante refers strictly to the physical act of looking in front of oneself. If you want to express the idiomatic sense of being excited about a future event, you should use other expressions such as tener ganas de, Estoy deseando or No veo la hora.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Spain, the expression tener ganas de is commonly used to mean "to be eager to."
How do you pronounce it?
/miɾaɾ aθja adelante/
Did you know?
- The word hacia comes from the Latin phrase faciem ad, which literally means 'facing towards' the 'face'.
- In many Spanish-speaking cultures, a person might say adelante to invite someone to enter a room or to tell them to proceed with a task.
- While mirar hacia adelante is purely physical, the idiomatic 'look forward to' is often expressed as no veo la hora, which literally means 'I do not see the hour'.
Examples in context
- Espero con ilusión conocerlos en la conferenciaI look forward to meeting all of you at the conference
- Anticipo con entusiasmo el próximo proyectoI look forward to the upcoming project
- Tengo expectativas positivas con respecto a nuestro próximo encuentroI look forward to our upcoming meeting
- Estoy deseando verte en la fiestaI'm looking forward to seeing you at the party
- ¡Me muero de ganas de ver esa película!I'm so excited to see that movie!
- No veo la hora de que llegue el fin de semanaI can't wait for the weekend to come
- Estoy emocionado/a por la próxima visitaI'm looking forward to the upcoming visit
- Estoy esperando con ansias el partido de fútbolI'm looking forward to the soccer match
- Tengo ganas de veros a todos en el eventoI look forward to seeing all of you at the event
- Debes mirar hacia adelante al caminar.You should look forward while walking.
- Él no puede mirar hacia adelante sin gafas.He cannot look forward without glasses.
Example conversation
A driving instructor is correcting a student's posture.
- LucíaDaniel, tienes que mirar hacia adelante mientras conduces.Daniel, you have to look forward while you drive.
- DanielLo siento, Lucía, estaba mirando el espejo.I am sorry, Lucía, I was looking at the mirror.
- LucíaEs importante mirar hacia adelante con atención.It is important to look forward attentively.
- DanielEntendido, lo tendré en cuenta.Understood, I will keep that in mind.
Sources
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries adelante, hacia, mirar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
