Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA |
|---|---|
| no ver la hora de | /ˌno ˌbeɾ la ˈoɾa de/ |
| quedar a la espera de | /kedaɾ a la espeɾa de/ (from spelling rules) |
| estar/sentirse entusiasmado/emocionado/ávido por | |
| sentir/haber/tener entusiasmo/emoción/expectación/avidez por |
In Spanish, the choice of phrase depends on whether you are expressing professional anticipation or personal excitement. Use no ver la hora de to express personal excitement or impatience regarding a future event, such as a party or a vacation. For professional contexts, such as business correspondence, use quedar a la espera de. Other ways to express being eager or enthusiastic include using forms like estar/sentirse entusiasmado/emocionado/ávido por or sentir/haber/tener entusiasmo/emoción/expectación/avidez por.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase no ver la hora de literally translates to 'not to see the hour of'.
Which one should you use?
no ver la hora de is used to convey eager or impatient anticipation. In contrast, quedar a la espera de is a more neutral or formal way to express waiting for something to happen.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
For informal settings, you can use no ver la hora de, Estoy deseando or the very expressive Me muero de ganas por (which translates to 'I'm dying of eagerness for'). For formal situations, such as professional emails, use quedar a la espera de or the phrase Espero con ansias, which means 'I await with eagerness'.
How does it change in a sentence?
When using no ver la hora de to express looking forward to an action, it is followed by an infinitive verb (e.g., no ver la hora de + infinitivo).
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌno ˌbeɾ la ˈoɾa de/
Did you know?
Examples in context
- Espero con ansias la oportunidad de conocerte en persona.I look forward to the opportunity to meet you in person.
- Tengo ganas de asistir a la conferencia y aprender de los expertos.I look forward to attending the conference and learning from the experts.
- Anticipo con entusiasmo la oportunidad de colaborar en este proyecto.I look forward to the opportunity to collaborate on this project.
- ¡Estoy deseando ver la película contigo!I'm looking forward to watching the movie with you!
- ¡Me muero de ganas por conocer a tu familia!I'm really looking forward to meeting your family!
- Tengo muchas ansias de ir de vacaciones contigo.I'm really looking forward to going on vacation with you.
- Espero con ansias el fin de semanaI look forward to the weekend.
- Tengo ganas de ir a la fiestaI'm looking forward to going to the party.
- Estoy deseando ver el conciertoI'm looking forward to seeing the concert.
- Me muero de ganas por probar esa comidaI'm dying to try that food.
- ¡Esperamos con ansias tu dominio del español!We look forward to your mastery of Spanish!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “look forward to” translations and entries no ver la hora de, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries de, hora, la, no, no ver la hora de, quedar, ver, CC BY-SA 4.0.
