Look Forward To Doing vs. Look Forward To Do
Cambridge explicitly identifies the “to” in look forward to as a preposition and documents noun or -ing complements. The sequence “to do” is not the normal complement of look forward to because the construction does not contain infinitival to.
Use “look forward to doing,” not “look forward to do.” In this expression, “to” is a preposition and the following verb takes the -ing form.
Key details
Choose the right form
| Meaning / situation | Form / construction | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| anticipate an activity/event expressed by a verb | look forward to + -ing | Use the gerund after the preposition “to.” |
| anticipate a noun thing/event | look forward to + noun | Use a noun phrase after “to.” |
Quick tests
Meaning / construction test
Does a verb follow “look forward to”?
If yes: Use the -ing form: “look forward to doing.”
If no: A noun phrase can follow “to” directly.
Examples
I look forward to meeting you.
“To” is a preposition here, so the verb takes -ing.
We look forward to the conference.
A noun phrase can follow the preposition.
She is looking forward to starting the new role.
The same pattern holds in an inflected form of the expression.
Further guidance
Boundary
The sequence “to do” is not the normal complement of look forward to because the construction does not contain infinitival to.
Construction
Cambridge explicitly identifies the “to” in look forward to as a preposition and documents noun or -ing complements.
Decision
Use “look forward to doing,” not “look forward to do.” In this expression, “to” is a preposition and the following verb takes the -ing form.
Sources and evidence
Sources are shown with the role they play in this guide. Historical or style-sensitive claims are kept within the evidence boundary described above.
- Look forward to — Cambridge Grammar (opens in a new tab)Cambridge Dictionary · Look forward to uses prepositional to and therefore takes a noun phrase or -ing form rather than a to-infinitive