"I'm looking forward to it" is wrong?

U

u-1

Senior Member
Tokyo
Japanese
Good evening!

I have a question.

The other day, I was talking with an American guy. We were talking about a trip I'm going on soon, and I said to him, "I'm looking forward to it". Then, he said that "I look forward to it" sounds better.

I was confused. I thought "I'm looking forward to it" is perfect because I'm feeling it right now. I should have asked him why the sentence I said wasn't good, but I missed the chance.

Could someone teach me why "I look forward to it" is better than "I'm looking forward to it"?

Thank you in advance!
 
    • abenr

    abenr

    Senior Member
    Scottsdale, AZ, USA
    English, USA
    u-1 said:
    Good evening!

    I have a question.

    The other day, I was talking with an American guy. We were talking about a trip I'm going on soon, and I said to him, "I'm looking forward to it". Then, he said that "I look forward to it" sounds better.

    I was confused. I thought "I'm looking forward to it" is perfect because I'm feeling it right now. I should have asked him why the sentence I said wasn't good, but I missed the chance.

    Could someone teach me why "I look forward to it" is better than "I'm looking forward to it"?

    Thank you in advance!
    Click to expand...

    "I look forward to it" is NOT better than "I'm looking forward to it." There's absolutely nothing wrong with "I'm looking forward to it."
     
    F

    Fabulist

    Banned
    Annandale, Virginia, USA
    American English
    If you are in the process of "looking forward" to your trip right now, then I would say "am looking forward" is better than "look forward."

    You could say, "I look forward to the trip every day." However, that would mean that you do so occasionally, as little as once a day, but that you are not doing it continuously, and that you are not thinking about it at the time you are talking about this anticipation.
     
    Last edited:
    sandpiperlily

    sandpiperlily

    Senior Member
    Southern US (raised in Midwest)
    English -- USA
    I agree with the above explanations.

    I'll also add that if I want to tell someone that I will continue to look forward to it (until it happens, presumably), I'll sometimes say "I'll look forward to it," or "I'll be looking forward to it."
     
    Last edited:
    pops91710

    pops91710

    Senior Member
    Chino, California
    English, AE/Spanish-Mexico
    He may have corrected you because the phrase is usually rendered "I look forward to it". I cannot understand why your rendition would need to be corrected as it is perfectly understandable and not grammatically incorrect. It may not conform to the popular rendition, but I certainly would not have given it a second thought.
     
    panjandrum

    panjandrum

    Senior Member
    Belfast, Ireland
    English-Ireland (top end)
    pops91710 said:
    He may have corrected you because the phrase is usually rendered "I look forward to it". I cannot understand why your rendition would need to be corrected as it is perfectly understandable and not grammatically incorrect. It may not conform to the popular rendition, but I certainly would not have given it a second thought.
    Click to expand...
    Are you sure about that?

    I certainly would never say "I look forward to it" in the context that u-1 described. If I'm talking to you about a planned trip, I would never say "I look forward to it." It would always be "I'm looking forward to it."

    I tried hard, earlier today, to think of a context in which I would naturally say "I look forward to it," but so far I have failed. I think it would have to be a situation where you were telling me about something in the future that I hadn't heard about before. Then, perhaps, I might say "I look forward to it."
     
    J

    JulianStuart

    Senior Member
    Sonoma County CA
    English (UK then US)
    ... or that you will be making something special for me and delivering it to me later in the week. Then I might well say "I look forward to it (receipt of the creation)"
     
    U

    u-1

    Senior Member
    Tokyo
    Japanese
    Dear teachers,

    Thank you so much for answering my question.

    I love this Web site. I can learn a lot of things thanks to your help!

    Thank you again!
     
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