RisingTide

A quick question regarding the correct grammar in the following sentence. What's the difference between a sign saying "we look forward to see you again" and "we look forward to seeing you again".

Had a discussion about it the other night, and as a non-native I couldn't really tell which one is correct, or what the difference in meaning is if both are correct.

Any explanations?

retired_linton_justin

the 2nd one is correct.

retired_kaila4337

the first one doesn't actually make sense. it's how a Japanese person would say the second one

retired_shellmac13

Yeah, what they say.

retired_linton_justin

but oddly enough if "look forward" was changed to "would like" then the 1st one would be correct.

retired_shellmac13

Now you're just confuse him :thdn:

retired_youyou

because that's a different tense

retired_naldy

The ing means you're going to see them.

Just see means you are looking at them now, which even if you are, doesnt mean you're seeing them now in the future...


Hell im confused now.

retired_princesspouty

-ing on the end changes the verb "to see" into a noun, the act of seeing.

"look [forward]" is a verb, so to match it with another verb (to see) before the 'target' noun wouldn't make sense.

Like (as in Would Like) is transitive verb, so can be matched with a normal verb.

Thank god we English speakers learn these 'rules' naturally when we're children. What a nightmare.

RisingTide

Well, thanks all for the explanations. It's clear to me now. Especially since in the aforementioned discussion, I was right

These small things really are the difference between mastering a language and being a native speaker.