Learn English – Might “see you shortly” be used to mean in a week’s time

expressionsmeaningphrasestime

I wonder if it's appropriate to say "see you shortly" when we both know that it's going to happen in a week's time. What I'm trying to say is that I'm looking forward to see the person, but I already used "I'm looking forward" and I don't want to sound repetitive.

I only heard "see you shortly" to refer to periods of time shorter than a day, so my concern is that it might sound confusing when we are talking of an entire week.

Best Answer

Firstly, "see you shortly" does not mean "I am looking forward to seeing you" and does not work well as a replacement. It does work as a reenforcing statement but it is hard to tell without a fuller context.

Secondly, "see you shortly" is not attached to any particular time frame. It is typically associated with smaller periods than a week but it is not restricted to them. "See you soon" would be a little more customary but it really comes down to intonation and context.

If you are looking for another form of "I am looking forward" you can use something along the lines of these (depending on intent):

  • Until next time
  • I can't wait
  • I eagerly await
  • Next week cannot come soon enough

If you simply want to avoid confusion about when you will see them you could say, "See you next week."