I met somebody for the first time two days ago and the next day he sent a message on Facebook in which he said, "Thank you" and I replied "You're welcome! It was pleasure to meet you." Although it is a very simple construction, I've become confused after research I've done and because I will probably use it very often in the future, I would like to ask which one is more appropriate for this situation, and is there any difference in terms of meaning they suggest?
And as far as I know we can also say:
It was a pleasure to have met you.
But besides that, it is used in more formal writing? I have also read: "Do not use 'have met' unless they were your host and you are writing a thank you note." Is this correct?
Best Answer
Well, the first thing I must point out is that neither of these sentences are correct without an 'a' in them.
As for whether you should use "to meet" or "meeting", it makes no difference. The meaning and usage is completely interchangeable.
I would not recommend using "to have met you" except for specific situations (like thanking a host). The meaning is subtly different. The first sentence means "I enjoyed meeting you." But the second means "I enjoyed that I got to meet you." It doesn't say anything about whether the actual meeting was a pleasure, although this is implied.