avoir hâte
In French, looking forward to something is expressed as avoir hâte.
The phrase is used to express a sense of eagerness or excitement about an event or something that is going to happen in the future.
What does it mean word for word?
Literally, avoir hâte translates to 'to have haste'.
Which one should you use?
While avoir hâte is the standard way to express being eager, attendre quelque chose avec impatience is a more formal way to say one is looking forward to or waiting for something eagerly.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can use the phrase followed directly by a noun to look forward to an object or event. When you want to follow the phrase with a verb, you must use the preposition de before the infinitive: avoir hâte de + infinitive.
Did you know?
- In French, there is no single word for 'excited' that works exactly like the English one. Instead, speakers use avoir hâte to describe the feeling of anticipation.
- Because hâte is etymologically linked to the Frankish word *hai(f)st, the phrase is a beautiful linguistic bridge between Latin-based French and Germanic-influenced elements.
- Unlike English, where 'looking forward to' can be used in professional emails, avoir hâte is often perceived as too emotional for very formal business correspondence.
Examples in context
- Je suis impatient(e) de partir en voyageI am looking forward to going on a trip.
- Je me réjouis de notre prochaine réunionI am looking forward to our upcoming meeting.
- J'ai hâte de te voirI can't wait to see you.
- Je brûle d'envie de commencer cette aventureI am burning with desire to start this adventure.
- J'ai hâte de faire la fête ce week-end!I can't wait to party this weekend!
- Je me réjouis d'assister à votre prochaine conférence.I am looking forward to attending your next conference.
- Je brûle d'envie de goûter la cuisine française.I am burning with desire to taste French cuisine.
- Il a hâte de partir en vacances.He is looking forward to going on vacation.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries avoir, hâte, CC BY-SA 4.0.
