‘Looking forward to talking with you’; is a sentence that comes with so many variations, that using it can sometimes be confusing. Should you use ‘talking with’ or ‘talking to’? Should you use ‘looking forward’ or ‘look forward’? Is ‘speaking’ more appropriate than ‘talking’?
Well, don’t worry, because in this article we are going to cover all that and more. We’ll go over the various uses of the phrase and the contexts in which it can be used, as well as its correct grammatical structure.
Before all that however, we want to answer your question. Is 'looking forward to talking with you' correct grammar? The answer is 'yes.' You can use this sentence with confidence knowing that it is considered correct as per the rules of the English language.
Before we get into any grammar lessons, let's first investigate the meaning of this phrase. Then, we'll explore the correct ways to use it.
The phrase ‘Looking forward to talking with you’ is usually used to conclude a communication, most often in a written exchange - so by email, letter, or online chat. It’s a way to tell the interlocutor that you’re enjoying the exchange and hope/expect it to continue. It’s also a great way to prompt the other person to respond to you, in case it wasn’t clear from the rest of the message, or in case you want to reinforce the fact that this is an exchange.
‘If we take the literal meaning of the verb ‘to look forward’, it’s clear to see that it carries the meaning of considering something that will happen in the future. To look forward to something is an idiom that is used to express the fact that we anticipate something with pleasure.
‘Talking with’ means to have a conversation with someone. ‘You’ can be swapped for another pronoun, such as ‘them’, or even a proper noun, such as ‘Ben’.
We can confirm that it is grammatically correct to use the sentence 'looking forward to talking with you'.
Read on to find out why it is correct, why there’s confusion around the phrase, and which variations of the phrase are not, in fact, grammatically correct.
Not sure how to use the phrase? See below for a few examples of usage in context.
It was great meeting you on Thursday, and I'd love to take you up on your offer to chat more about your experience investing in cryptocurrency. Let me know when might be good for you. Looking forward to talking with you.
Hey! Hope you’re well. Great night last night. Good chats. Looking forward to talking with you some more.
Here are some further examples of the verbal phrase ‘to look forward to’, using an alternative gerund than ‘talking’:
I’m really looking forward to spending the whole summer on the beach.
I can’t wait to get home. Looking forward to taking my shoes off more than anything.
Grammatically, it seems the proper way to use this sentence would be to say, “I’m looking forward to talking with you.” Indeed, a subject is required in order to build a full sentence, is it not? And yet, it is okay to leave out the pronoun ‘I’ in this context.
Why is that? We’re so glad you asked!
This is referred to as ‘Situational ellipsis’ and, quite simply, is just a more casual way of speaking or writing and brings a more conversational tone to the exchange. The nature of the phrase means it will always be possible to deduce who the subject is, based on the context.
It’s important to note that English is not a “pro-drop” language, unlike the Spanish language, for example, where it’s customary to drop the pronoun, as well as grammatically correct to do so. Admittedly, in English, it isn’t technically correct to omit the pronouns, but nonetheless, it is quite commonly done, and no one will hold it against you (if they even notice).
Here are some examples of pronouns being dropped in a sentence:
A phrasal verb is a combination of words that, when used together, take on the function of a verb. In simpler terms, it’s essentially a verb made up of two or three words. ‘To look forward to’ is one such example. Some other examples are:
Combing verbs with other words to form a phrasal verb often changes the meaning of the verb. To use the example of ‘to look forward to’, we can all agree that the verb ‘to look’ takes on a different meaning in this phrasal verb. There’s no literal looking when we look forward to something.
To use another example, when a person ‘breaks down into tears,’ nothing is physically breaking. It’s just a way to express that someone is experiencing high emotions.
One of the most commonly asked questions about using the expression ‘looking forward to talking with you’ pertains to whether it’s best to use ‘to’ or ‘with’, and whether or not both are correct.
We’re here to tell you that they are, in fact, both correct. So don’t fret. Whichever one you choose won’t make much difference to the meaning of your sentence.
Nevertheless, it could be said that to use ‘looking forward to talking with you’ implies more of a conversation, an exchange. Talking to someone can appear to mean that there is not so much response on their behalf.
But the difference is very subtle, so please don’t fret over this. Most people don’t even notice this faint nuance, and again, no one will hold it against you if you use one over the other.
Curious to discover other variations of the phrase, as well as alternative expressions to use which have a similar meaning? We’ve got your back! Read on.
As explained earlier, you could absolutely say, ‘I’m looking forward to talking with you.’ That would, in fact, be the correct version of the phrase. Just be aware that adding in the subject’s pronoun will likely make you sound more formal, so it’s great to use in a professional setting, for instance.
It’s also an option to use the present simple version of the phrase as opposed to the present continuous. This would mean saying, ‘I look forward to speaking with you,’ as opposed to ‘I’m looking forward.'
There is little to no difference in using this variation.
You could swap out the verb ‘talk’ for the verb ‘speak’ and say, ‘I look forward to speaking with you.’ This would make you sound more formal, so again, a good one to use in a professional context. For example:
We all really enjoyed meeting you yesterday; thank you for attending the interview. We’ll be in touch soon. Looking forward to speaking with you.
Again, as covered earlier on, it is completely acceptable to use the preposition ‘to’ instead of ‘with.’ In a sentence, this would sound something like:
Thanks for your email. I’ll give you a call tomorrow morning. I look forward to talking to you.
As you can see, this doesn’t change the meaning of the sentence.
However, Bear in mind that the phrase ‘talking to’ can carry a different meaning depending on the context. It can be used to signify that you’re going to tell someone off or that they’re in trouble. For example:
I need to give my daughter a good talking to; she got home after curfew again last night.
Generally, it’s quite easy to infer which meaning is intended based on the context, but we thought it was worth mentioning.
So, do you feel more confident using the expression 'Looking forward to talking with you’? We sure hope so! What's your preferred way to use it? 'to' or 'with? 'speaking' or 'talking'?
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