Looking forwards to receiving...

[Nivar]

I have always had some doubts regarding this closing sentence:

Looking forwards to receiving from you at your earliest convenience.

It is the combination of "receiving" forwarded by "to" what does not sound right to me. Can anyone help?

[wrholt]

In US English we say "to look forward to [an event]" (no 's' on "forward"), and it means "to wait for (an event)", with a strong suggestion that [the event] is desirable.

[Nivar]

Originally Posted by wrholt

In US English we say "to look forward to [an event]" (no 's' on "forward"), and it means "to wait for (an event)", with a strong suggestion that [the event] is desirable.

So, looking forward to receiving ... Would be correct in your opinion?

[wrholt]

Originally Posted by Nivar

So, looking forward to receiving ... Would be correct in your opinion?

In the US, yes.

[Luna Azul]

"Looking forward to receiving" is correct.

I think I know what's bothering you.. the fact that "to" is used in front of a -ing form, not an infinitive. Right?

However, it happens sometimes. There's at least one other expression that uses "to+ ing": "I'm used to drinking a lot of milk"..

Maybe there are some others, right now I can't think of any..

[Nivar]

Thank you both.

I use sometimes "Looking forward to hearing from you".

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Nivar

I use sometimes "Looking forward to hearing from you".

This is the English gerund (a noun), not to be confused with the present participle (an adjective) which is the Spanish gerundio. (The above to is not part of an infinitive.)

[Nivar]

Originally Posted by Perikles

This is the English gerund (a noun), not to be confused with the present participle (an adjective) which is the Spanish gerundio. (The above to is not part of an infinitive.)

So, would you agree that my sentence is correct?

Note: I like your perenquén.:-)

[Perikles]

Originally Posted by Nivar

So, would you agree that my sentence is correct?

I'm a pedant, so I have to say it is not actually a sentence because it has no finite verb. You could argue that it is the first half of a formulaic sentence ending a letter. This takes the form

Looking forward to (bla bla),
I remain,
Yours sincerely
Joe Bloggs

If the second bit is missed out, with the verb I remain, then what you wrote is an adjectival phrase describing the writer.

Originally Posted by Nivar

Looking forwards to receiving from you at your earliest convenience.

Anyway. The problem here is that you don't say what it is that you might be receiving, so it makes no sense to me. What does make sense:

Looking forward to receiving a reply from you at your earliest convenience.

Looking forward to hearing from you at your earliest convenience.

Originally Posted by Nivar

Note: I like your perenquén.:

Thanks, we have one or two in the house. I bet you do too.

[Nivar]

That has been of great help. Thank you very much!


Note: Perenquenes do not like the mist of the northern midlands of your island!

[swr999]

But related back to the start of the thread, I have a question:

How do you express in Spanish "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again", meaning you are anticipating a happy, desired event?

"Estoy anticipando con mucho entusiasmo el poder veros otra vez" doesn't quite seem to do the trick .

Thanks!

[Rusty]

I've heard and used:
Anhelo verte de nuevo.

This seems more popular:
Estoy deseando verte de nuevo.

I'm sure there are other ways to say it.

[pjt33]

Anhelar is quite strong. For "I'm looking forward to" I tend to use "Tengo ganas de"; it doesn't mean the same thing, because it only conveys the desire, but usually the expectation is implicit in the context.

@Nivar, Perikles was probably led astray by your claimed "Ubicación: Canary Islands".

[swr999]

Does it seem there's no Spanish equivalent that really fits the sentiment being expressed by the English looking forward to ?

I think it's complicated because to an English speaker the phrase can simultaneously imply a number of emotions such as a feeling of having enjoyed whatever previous interaction there may have been; a sense of wanting the relationship to continue to develop; something wished for and likely to be fulfilled on some future occasion (e.g. I'm really looking forward to my vacation. I just need some time away from work.).

More suggestions? Thanks!

[Luna Azul]

Originally Posted by swr999

Does it seem there's no Spanish equivalent that really fits the sentiment being expressed by the English looking forward to ?

I think it's complicated because to an English speaker the phrase can simultaneously imply a number of emotions such as a feeling of having enjoyed whatever previous interaction there may have been; a sense of wanting the relationship to continue to develop; something wished for and likely to be fulfilled on some future occasion (e.g. I'm really looking forward to my vacation. I just need some time away from work.).

More suggestions? Thanks!

The expression in English expresses something that's actually going to happen, not something that you hope will happen. So, the best sentence I can find in Spanish is "estar entusiasmado".

It is said when you expect something good to happen.

Estoy muy entusiasmado(a) con mis vacaciones /porque te voy a ver.

[Nivar]

Originally Posted by pjt33

@Nivar, Perikles was probably led astray by your claimed "Ubicación: Canary Islands".

Perikles is right except for asuming that all parts of Tenerife have perenquenes. You have been led astray for considering that the Canary Islands and Tenerife in particular is a ver hot place, but the point is that it is an island with lots of climates, and perenquenes love the heath of the coastal areas but not the mist of the nordern midlands within the island.

Originally Posted by swr999

But related back to the start of the thread, I have a question:

How do you express in Spanish "I'm really looking forward to seeing you again", meaning you are anticipating a happy, desired event?

"Estoy anticipando con mucho entusiasmo el poder veros otra vez" doesn't quite seem to do the trick .

Thanks!

What about: Cuento los días que faltan para volver a vernos...

[poli]

Contar los días (to count the days is frequently used in English) can sometimes be used to mean looking forward to, but counting the days is usually used to express a very strong desire, and looking forward to is cooler emotionally.
So, when arranging a business meeting, you may want to say, I'm looking forward to discussing the new bla bla bla...with you. It would sound wierd
to say, I counting the days to discuss the new ....

[Nivar]

Originally Posted by poli

Contar los días (to count the days is frequently used in English) can sometimes be used to mean looking forward to, but counting the days is usually used to express a very strong desire, and looking forward to is cooler emotionally.
So, when arranging a business meeting, you may want to say, I'm looking forward to discussing the new bla bla bla...with you. It would sound wierd
to say, I counting the days to discuss the new ....

Yes, it is the same in Spanish.

In a business context, I gather it would be something like:

"Espero que tengamos la oportunidad de tratar..."

"Con la seguridad de que en nuestra próxima reunión abordaremos..."

"Quedo a la espera de nuestra próxima reunión..."

"A la espera de sus comentarios..."

[poli]

Originally Posted by Nivar

Yes, it is the same in Spanish.

In a business context, I gather it would be something like:

"Espero que tengamos la oportunidad de tratar..."

"Con la seguridad de que en nuestra próxima reunión abordaremos..."

"Quedo a la espera de nuestra próxima reunión..."

"A la espera de sus comentarios..."

Good! Something has been resolved. Quedo a la espera y a la espera de
are perfect translations for looking forward to. Now all I have to do is remember these terms when the opportunity arises to use them.