ich freue mich darauf, dich zu sehen
The English phrase "looking forward to seeing you" can be translated into German as ich freue mich darauf, dich zu sehen.
This phrase is used to express excitement or pleasure regarding a future meeting with someone.
Which one should you use?
While ich freue mich darauf, dich zu sehen focuses specifically on the act of seeing the person, the more concise and common way to express that you are looking forward to a person's arrival or presence is to say ich freue mich auf dich.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase uses an infinitive construction with zu (to see), which is triggered by the prepositional adverb darauf.
Did you know?
- While ich freue mich is the standard way to say 'I am happy', it literally means 'I joy myself', treating joy as a reflexive action.
- In formal German business correspondence, this phrase is often replaced by Wir freuen uns auf Ihren Besuch, which shifts the focus to the 'visit' rather than the 'seeing'.
- Unlike in English, where 'looking forward to' is a phrasal verb, the German expression uses the verb freuen to describe the internal feeling of anticipation.
Examples in context
- Ich freue mich darauf, Sie zu sehen.I am looking forward to seeing you.
- Mit großem Interesse erwarte ich unser Treffen.I am eagerly looking forward to our meeting.
- Ich blicke erwartungsvoll unserem Treffen entgegen.I am looking forward enthusiastically to our meeting.
- Ich kann es kaum erwarten, dich wiederzusehen.I can't wait to see you again.
- Ich zähle die Tage, bis wir uns wiedersehen.I'm counting the days until we meet again.
Example conversation
Julia and Felix are planning a meetup on the weekend.
- JuliaTreffen wir uns am Samstag um zwölf?Shall we meet on Saturday at twelve?
- FelixJa, das passt mir sehr gut.Yes, that works very well for me.
- JuliaSuper, ich freue mich darauf, dich zu sehen!Great, I'm looking forward to seeing you!
- FelixIch mich auch, bis dann!Me too, see you then!
