We Look Forward in Seeing You | Better Email Closing

The phrase we look forward in seeing you pops up a lot in emails, event invites, and workplace chats. Many learners pick it up from friends or colleagues and wonder if it sounds natural to a native speaker. Small details in set phrases can change how polished your writing feels, especially in formal notes.

What This Email Closing Really Means

When someone writes this phrase, they almost always want to express warm anticipation about a future meeting. The intention is positive and welcoming, and native readers usually understand it without effort. The trouble is that the preposition in does not match the standard pattern for this verb phrase.

In standard English, look forward normally takes the preposition to, and that to acts as a preposition, not part of an infinitive. That is why it must be followed by a noun or a gerund form such as seeing. Grammar references explain this as the structure look forward to + noun or -ing form, which gives you lines like I look forward to our meeting or we look forward to working with you.

Writers who insert in instead of to usually transfer patterns from other phrases such as interested in seeing you or confident in your skills. The brain mixes patterns that feel similar, and the result lands close enough that many readers pass over it. Still, in a job application, business proposal, or formal event notice, that small slip can make your closing line feel less polished than you intend.

Phrase	Grammar Status	Typical Use
We look forward to seeing you	Standard	Formal and friendly closing in emails or letters
Non-standard in-form version of the phrase	Non-standard	Common learner phrase; understood but not recommended
I look forward to hearing from you	Standard	Business and job application emails
We are looking forward to meeting you	Standard	Invites, event confirmations, casual messages
We look forward for seeing you	Non-standard	Mix of patterns; avoid in writing
We look forward to your visit	Standard	Travel notices, host messages
I look forward to working with you	Standard	New job or project introductions
Looking forward to seeing you	Standard (informal)	Quick notes, texts, friendly closings

Is We Look Forward In Seeing You Grammatically Correct

Short answer: the phrase is understandable, but it does not match the standard grammar rule. Native speakers around the world use look forward to, not look forward in, when they express pleasant expectation about a future event. Major dictionaries show the pattern with to followed by a noun or an -ing form that acts like a noun.

Because to in this phrase is a preposition, it links to an object. That object can be a plain noun such as your reply or a gerund such as hearing from you. We can write they look forward to the holidays or she looks forward to visiting her grandparents. If you swap in another preposition like in, the structure breaks, and the phrase starts to sound off to many readers.

Grammar guides describe this wording as a non-standard variation. In speech, listeners may barely notice. In writing, especially where you want a professional tone, the safer choice is to keep the classic structure: we look forward to seeing you. That way your closing line feels smooth to hiring managers, teachers, and clients who read a lot of English emails every day.

Why Writers Mix Up In And To

Prepositions cause trouble for English learners because they often do not follow simple, obvious rules. Many languages use one preposition where English uses several. People who write this in-form version often use other set phrases correctly in the same email, such as interested in joining or experienced in teaching. The ears hear similar sounds, and the brain reuses the pattern.

Over time, that version can spread inside a workplace or a social group, so it starts to feel normal. A new colleague copies an older email, keeps that same wording, and never sees a direct correction. Because the message still works, nobody stops to fix the small detail. Native speakers may notice the phrase and simply guess that English is not the writer’s first language.

Using We Look Forward To Seeing You In Polite Messages

The safest choice in emails and letters is the standard pattern we look forward to seeing you. It follows the rule look forward to + noun or -ing form and works in formal as well as informal settings. If you write to a teacher, a manager, or a client, this version sounds natural, friendly, and clear.

Here are some typical lines:

• We look forward to seeing you at the workshop next week.
• We look forward to seeing you on campus for orientation.
• We look forward to seeing you at the parent meeting on Monday.

Notice that the structure stays the same each time. The phrase look forward to appears, followed by an -ing form such as seeing, and then details about the event. You can change the subject, the time, or the place without touching the core pattern. This gives you a simple template you can adapt for almost any context.

Formal Variants For Professional Emails

Sometimes you want a slightly more formal closing line, especially in letters related to applications, contracts, or academic matters. In those cases, you can keep the same verb pattern but replace seeing you with a noun phrase. That small change gives a more neutral tone while staying grammatically correct.

Useful lines include:

• We look forward to your response.
• We look forward to your feedback on the draft.
• We look forward to your presentation next Friday.

Language references such as the Cambridge Grammar entry on look forward to explain this pattern with further examples you can study for practice.

Alternatives To This Email Closing

You do not need to repeat the same closing in every email. Native speakers vary these phrases so that their writing feels fresh and matches the level of formality in each message. Once you know that the in-form version is better written with to, you can also switch verbs or subjects to suit the tone you want.

Here are some alternatives that keep a similar meaning:

• I look forward to meeting you in person.
• We are looking forward to your visit.
• We look forward to our next session together.
• I am looking forward to working with your team.
• We look forward to your next message.

For each option, the pattern look forward to + noun or -ing form stays in place. You change only the subject or the object to fit the message. If you want something less formal, you can drop the subject and write looking forward to seeing you at the end of a chat or quick email. That version still keeps to as the preposition before the -ing form.

Situation	Recommended Closing	Formality Level
Job application email	I look forward to hearing from you.	Formal
University event invite	We look forward to seeing you on campus.	Formal
Team meeting reminder	We look forward to meeting you on Friday.	Neutral
Class reunion message	Looking forward to seeing you all there.	Casual
Customer follow-up note	We look forward to your reply.	Neutral
Conference confirmation	We look forward to your presentation.	Formal
Friend visiting from abroad	I am looking forward to seeing you again.	Casual

Email Templates You Can Adapt Quickly

Many learners keep old emails and copy closing lines when they need to write in English. That habit can spread non-standard phrases like this in-form version of the closing. Instead, you can store a few short templates that follow the correct pattern and adjust the details each time.

Short Reply To A Meeting Invite

Here is a quick response you can send after someone invites you to a meeting or event:

Thank you for the invitation. The time works for us, and we look forward to seeing you at the office next Tuesday.

This reply confirms the plan and ends with a standard closing. You can change at the office to online, on campus, or any other location.

Polite Closing For A Formal Request

When you send a request to a teacher, manager, or office, a respectful closing line helps your email sound clear and calm.

Thank you for your time and help with this matter. We look forward to hearing from you.

Here you express gratitude and then show that you expect a reply, using the standard pattern. A learner who might use the in-form version in this spot can switch to this template and feel more confident.

Reference pages such as the Collins entry for look forward to give more sample sentences that you can adapt for both spoken and written English.

Common Mistakes With Look Forward Phrases

Set phrases tempt writers to change one part and leave the rest in place. That pattern often causes errors with look forward to. Once you notice the typical slips, you can scan your own writing and fix them in a few seconds before sending an email.

Leaving Out To Before The -Ing Form

Some writers skip the preposition completely and write lines such as I look forward seeing you. Readers can usually guess the meaning, yet the phrase feels incomplete. Adding the short word to brings the sentence back to the standard structure.

Correct: I look forward to seeing you.

Using In Instead Of To

This is where the in-form version appears. The preposition in often goes with adjectives such as interested in or confident in. When writers carry that pattern over to look forward, they create a phrase that sounds slightly off to natives.

Correct: We look forward to seeing you at the event.

Incorrect: We look forward in meeting you at the event.

Mixing Tenses Around Look Forward

Because look forward to refers to the future, writers sometimes mix it with future forms in a way that feels heavy. In most cases, the simple present or present continuous works well.

Natural: We are looking forward to seeing you.

Also natural: We look forward to seeing you.

Less natural: We will be looking forward to seeing you.

Final Thoughts On Look Forward Phrases

This non-standard closing shows up often in global English, and readers usually understand the intention. Even so, teachers, editors, and recruiters expect the classic pattern look forward to + noun or -ing form. Switching to we look forward to seeing you gives your writing a smoother finish and keeps your emails aligned with standard grammar.

If you work in an international setting, you might see both versions on screen every day. You do not need to correct every message you receive, yet you can choose the standard form in your own emails and letters. Over time, classmates and colleagues may copy your wording, and a small change like this can raise the overall clarity of shared documents.