i was really looking forward to seeing you.

Question

Hi All.

Ok, for some reason, i really can't even figure out bow to begin to say something like "I was really looking forward to seeing you."

Between not knowing "looking forward to" and not being sure about tense or mood, I don't even have a good guess.

Can anyone help me here please?

Cluelessly, Roger.

Answer 1

More or less, "to look forward to" something is "tener ganas de" in Spanish.

Tengo ganas de tomar una copita con mis amigas hoy! / I'm looking forward to having a drink with my friends today!

If you want to put it in the past, you have several choices, of course, but it's the same choices you'd always have. Here, you'd probably want to say:

Tenía muchas ganas de verte! / I was really looking forward to seeing you!

Thanks MHAW. That sounds perfect, and in hindsight, annoyingly (to me and by me) obvious. Thanks. :) - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Answer 2

Te esperaba con ansia/ ilusión..

An alternative, nada más. - annierats, Mar 9, 2013

:) - ian-hill, Mar 9, 2013

Thanks Annie. - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Answer 3

More or less, "to look forward to" something is "tener ganas a" in Spanish.

Right, ansiar is also a viable translation of that construction

Thanks. - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Answer 4

La idea de verte me haga (hiciera) muy feliz. The thought of seeing you makes me very happy.

Just another option from me ,but I think MHAW probably had it best so far. It wouldn't be a surprise if there's an idiom for this exact feeling.

I have not found an idionm for this and got various suggestions when talking to native speakers. - ian-hill, Mar 9, 2013

What Ian said. It seems like it's one of those things that Ought to have a direct idiom, but I've yet to provide anyone on either side of the linguistic border that can provide it. I think MHAW and Annie, among others, are maybe as close as can be. - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Oh, and thanks Ventana. I like that too. - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Answer 5

Here is a crazy way to get things going.

Tengo que sido busca con esperanza a verlo durante un tiempo largo .

I have been looking with hope to see him for a long time.

Thanks Ray. - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Answer 6

Our phrasebook says this

esperar con ansia - look forward to

Su ansia de cambio es comprensible.

His longing for change is understandable.

To look forward to = To anticipate with pleasure.

Anticipar con placer

And then, the sole lady of the group we were discussing it with, noted that it's used for food you really want, and for pregnant ladies' longings for certain foods and we decided that ansia is most like craving. Wish I had a better feel for the intensity - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013

Thanks Ian, those sound good too. I wish I had a better feel for how strong ansia is. I had a convo about it one night, and got the impression it was like longing, but maybe not quite as strong. - rogspax, Mar 10, 2013