Home/Vocabulary/“I’m looking forward to it”
B1How to sayzhdu s neterpéniyem

How to say “I’m looking forward to it” in Russian

Russian has no verb for “to look forward”. It waits with impatience instead.

Quick answer

Жду с нетерпе́нием!

zhdu s neterpéniyem — literally “I wait with impatience” — instrumental

The options

Жду с нетерпе́нием!I’m looking forward to it!
Бу́ду рад / ра́да.I’ll be glad.
С удово́льствием!With pleasure!
Не могу́ дожда́ться!I can’t wait!
До встре́чи!See you then!

The instrumental idiom

С нетерпе́нием — “with impatience” — is instrumental after с. The same shape gives с удово́льствием (with pleasure), с ра́достью (with joy) and с трудо́м (with difficulty). A whole family of adverbials.

In writing

In an email, С нетерпе́нием жду ва́шего отве́та — looking forward to your reply — is the standard formula, with the thing awaited in the genitive after ждать. In speech the short Жду! does the same job.

What you hear back

Я то́же!Me too!
Договори́лись!It’s agreed!
До встре́чи!See you!

Typical mistakes

Я смотрю́ вперёд к э́тому.

Жду с нетерпе́нием.

A word-for-word translation of “look forward” means nothing in Russian.

Жду ваш отве́т — in formal writing

Жду ва́шего отве́та.

ждать takes the genitive for things awaited.

Check yourself

How does Russian say “I’m looking forward to it”?

“I wait with impatience.”

Want it all in one place?

Russian Basics has Cyrillic, the cases and 1,000 words in one PDF — stress marked on every word, exercises with answers.

Get the guide — $19