hello

[meriem54wycombe]

I just want to ask you about one thing in the end of a formal letter
my question is:
in this sentence :I look forward to hearing from you.
why we write ING in hearING why not hear because of the TO
this is my question
thanks a lot

[Tdol]

Because it belongs to 'look forward' and not the verb:

I want a coffee.
I want to leave.

I am looking forward to the party
I look forward to hearing from you

In the first pair, the 'to' belongs to the second verb, not 'want, which is why we don't use it with the noun. However, in the second pair, we use 'to' with the noun and the gerund (hearing).