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In 'look forward to', the 'to' is a preposition, not part of the infinitive, so it is followed by a gerund (-ing).
Side-by-side comparison
"Look forward to" expresses that you are eager and excited about something coming. The "to" here is a preposition, not part of an infinitive.
I look forward to seeing you at the party on Saturday.
She is looking forward to starting her new job next month.
We all look forward to the summer holidays when we can finally relax.
That is why what follows is always a noun or a gerund ("-ing"), never an infinitive: "I look forward to meeting you", not "to meet you".
I expect to hear back from them by Friday at the latest.
She hopes to travel to Japan next year if she saves enough money.
He wants to learn how to cook before he moves into his own flat.
Common mistake
"I look forward to hear from you" is wrong and very common in professional English. Correct: "I look forward to hearing from you." The "to" here is a preposition, not part of an infinitive, so it requires a gerund.
Trick to remember it
Swap what follows for a noun. "I look forward to the meeting" works, so "to" is a preposition and the verb that follows takes -ing: "to meeting". If you cannot put a noun there, you are dealing with a real infinitive.
Quick rule
- •"Look forward to" + gerund (-ing), not infinitive.
- •The "to" is a preposition.
- •Same for: be used to, object to, be committed to, get used to.
Did you know?
"I look forward to hearing from you" is the most widely used email closing clause in professional English worldwide. Ironically, because of its extreme frequency, many business communication experts now consider it too generic and recommend more specific alternatives: "I look forward to discussing this on Thursday" or "I look forward to receiving your feedback by Friday." The formula risks sounding like a boilerplate template. However, for professional English learners, mastering this construction (+ gerund) remains one of the highest priorities, and one of the errors that stands out most when it is made.
Practise what you learned
Exercise 1 · Pick the right one
I'm looking forward to _____ you at the party on Friday.
Exercise 2 · Pick the right one
She is really looking forward to _____ her new job next month.
Exercise 3 · Form the word
Related word pairs
'Start' and 'begin' accept both gerund and infinitive with no meaning difference, except with stative verbs or in continuous forms.
'Stop to do' = pause in order to do something else; 'stop doing' = cease doing something.
'Suggest' and 'recommend' never take 'to' + infinitive; they use a gerund or a 'that' clause.
'Try to do' = attempt to do something; 'try doing' = experiment by doing something to see if it works.
Bryan López
Founder of SpeakUP Academy