It probably feels good when a friend says, “I’m looking forward to see you.” When you haven’t spent time together in ages, the comment builds excitement and joy as the anticipation grows about spending time together.
If your friend said, “I am looking forward to seeing you,” the same result would likely happen.
The issue between those two statements doesn’t involve a change in the meaning of what is said. Readers or listeners would understand the communication.
What is seen here is the difference between an infinitive and a gerund.
“I’m Looking Forward to See You” or “I Am Looking Forward to Seeing You”
The “ing” definition and meaning is a suffix of nouns formed from verbs. They express the verb’s action or its result, material, or product. It is also possible to use it to create nouns from a non-verb word, such as “veloceraptoring.” In this example, “I am looking forward to seeing you” is correct because “to” is a preposition.
In both example sentences for this piece, “to” serves as a preposition. “I am looking forward” is a complete sentence.
That means we know that the action taking place requires a gerund, which is the “ing” form of what is happening within the description.
“To look forward” also serves as a transitive verb. That means it requires an object to remain grammatically correct in the sentence. Without further description, the reader or conversation lapses because no one knows what you’re talking about at that time.
Imagine if someone came up to you and said the following statement.
“I’m traveling upward.”
What would that mean? As the reader or listener, you would have lots of different questions about what happens after.
- Are they getting on an airplane to flying higher into the sky?
- Is it a reference to their career and a desire to go up the chain of command?
Without anything further to add in that sentence, no one knows anything specific. When people are left to guess in the English language, they’re usually stuck with the wrong answer.
That’s why the “to” preposition is critical to the success of this interaction. Although it isn’t technically necessary for a complete sentence, it is required to convey an entire thought.
What Is the Gerund Rule in English?
The gerund rule is simple. It requires that every verb after a preposition requires “ing” at the end of the world.
“After visiting the dentist, I went home to take a nap.”
“She always dreamed of going to Paris in the fall.”
“Thank you for picking up the bill for our lunch today.”
What gets confusing about the difference between “I’m looking forward to see you” vs. “I’m looking forward to seeing you” is the use of “to” in a sentence.
As with most verbs, an infinitive or a gerund is necessary when a second action is described in a sentence. It is up to the speaker or writer to distinguish between those two items when composing the sentence.
That’s why this sentence looks poor.
“I tried to opening the bottle.”
Although the structure is similar to “I’m looking forward to see you” because “to” can serve as a preposition, there is one crucial difference to see.
With the above example, “I tried” is a complete sentence. The reason why “to” isn’t a preposition is because the verb form isn’t getting used as a noun.
That’s why it would be more appropriate to say you’re opening the bottle this way.
“I tried to open the bottle.”
In the title example, “seeing” is the direct object of the sentence.
What Are the Rules to Follow for Infinitive and Gerunds?
It takes some practice to master gerunds and infinitives. When you follow these simple rules, it won’t take long for you to start recognizing their placement in each sentence.
1. Gerunds can become the sentence’s subject.
What makes a gerund stand out from an infinitive is its status as a noun. You can flip the sentence to make the “ing” form become the subject.
“Seeing you is what I’m looking forward to doing.”
The sentence sounds like everyday English. If you switch to an infinitive, you will get a result like the example below.
“To see you is what I’m looking forward to do.”
Although infinitives can also serve as sentence subjects, they cause the communication pattern to be stilted and formal. That makes it much harder for the average person to understand what you want to discuss.
That’s why it is more common for gerunds to be used as a sentence subject.
2. Infinitives offer more specificity.
Here’s an example where two sentences are both correct.
“I enjoy writing.”
“Yesterday, I decided to write.”
The second uses an infinitive as the object. When you take that approach, it adds more specificity to the sentence.
Some verbs require a gerund, while others require an infinitive. When looking at the verb “see,” you can use both! That’s why the structure of the sentence determines which one to choose.
3. An infinitive is usually after an adjective.
An infinitive should follow when describing something with an adjective to create the correct perspective for the conversation or text.
If you prefer to turn the object into the sentence subject instead, a gerund should be used for that purpose instead.
4. Only infinitives are useful for specific verbs followed by a pronoun or person-centric noun.
When the sentence’s subject uses an action that gets followed by a pronoun, it would be improper for a gerund to be used in those circumstances. You can figure out the difference by looking at most sentences and saying them out loud.
“We asked him not to going.”
When you read the above example, it doesn’t “sound” correct at all. That means you should eliminate the gerund.
Although gerunds and infinitives can be a bit tricky, understanding the differences can help you become more familiar and fluent with the English language.