What Does 'Look Forward To' Mean at Work? (And the Grammar Mistake to Avoid)

Look forward to means to anticipate something with excitement or positive expectation. It's one of the most common closing phrases in professional emails, and one of the most consistently mishandled grammatically.

"I look forward to your feedback on the proposal."

"We're looking forward to the kickoff meeting next week."

What it signals

Look forward to does more than describe a neutral expectation — it adds a tone of genuine (or professionally polite) enthusiasm. It's warmer than simply saying "I expect" or "I will wait for."

"I expect your response by Friday." (neutral, slightly demanding)

"I look forward to your response by Friday." (same request, noticeably warmer)

This is why it shows up so often at the end of emails — it closes on a positive, forward-looking note even when the email itself was about a deadline or a problem.

"Thanks for flagging this. I look forward to discussing solutions on the call tomorrow."

The grammar rule that trips people up: it needs a gerund, not an infinitive

This is the single most important thing to know about look forward to. The word to here is a preposition, not part of an infinitive verb form — so whatever follows it must be a noun or a gerund (-ing form), never a base verb with "to."

Correct:

"I look forward to meeting you next week."

"I look forward to hearing your thoughts."

Incorrect:

"I look forward to meet you next week."

"I look forward to hear your thoughts."

This mistake is especially common because look forward to looks like it should behave like verbs such as "want to" or "plan to," where "to" introduces an infinitive. It doesn't. Here, "to" is a preposition attached to the phrasal verb "look forward," and prepositions are followed by nouns or gerunds — never a plain infinitive.

A simple test

If you're unsure whether to use the gerund or the infinitive, try replacing the verb phrase with a plain noun. If a noun fits naturally after "to," a gerund is correct.

"I look forward to [the meeting]." → "I look forward to meeting."

"I look forward to [your reply]." → "I look forward to hearing your reply."

If a plain noun sounds natural in that slot, the -ing form will too.

Common mistakes

Mistake 1: Using the infinitive instead of the gerund.

Wrong:

"I look forward to work with you."

Correct:

"I look forward to working with you."

Mistake 2: Using it insincerely in a tense or negative message, which can sound off.

Look forward to signals genuine positive anticipation. Using it right after delivering bad news, without any transition, can feel jarring:

"Unfortunately, we're cutting the budget by 20%. I look forward to your feedback!" (mismatched tone)

Better:

"Unfortunately, we're cutting the budget by 20%. I know this is a tough adjustment, and I'm glad to talk through it — I look forward to your questions on the call."

Mistake 3: Overusing it as a filler closing line without meaning it.

It's fine as a polite convention in emails, but stacking it in every single message can feel formulaic. Varying your closing ("Happy to discuss further," "Let me know your thoughts") keeps writing from sounding templated.

Practice scenarios

Practice using look forward to in situations like:

• closing a professional email on a warm, forward-looking note
• expressing genuine anticipation about a project, meeting, or collaboration
• softening the tone of a message that also contains a deadline or ask
• correcting yourself if you catch the infinitive mistake mid-sentence

Useful practice phrases:

• "I look forward to hearing from you."
• "We're looking forward to working together on this."
• "Looking forward to seeing how this turns out."
• "I look forward to your thoughts on the draft."

Lyra Practice helps advanced non-native English professionals learn the nuance of high-value workplace expressions and practice using them in realistic scenarios, so their English sounds natural, precise, and senior at work. Try Lyra Practice.