Nice to Hear from You vs. Nice Hearing from You – Which is Correct?
“Nice to hear from you” is the natural expression for welcoming someone’s message or news. “Nice hearing from you” is also grammatically valid, but less common and more conversational; it often highlights the experience of receiving communication. In professional emails, choose “nice to hear from you” for clarity and convention.
Table of Contents
Email writers should distinguish welcoming a message from saying Look Forward to Hearing from you in a future exchange.
Nice to Hear from You or Nice Hearing from You – Which is Correct?
Both “nice to hear from you” and “nice hearing from you” are grammatically possible, but they are not equally common. “Nice to hear from you” is the standard expression used when responding to an email, letter, phone call, message, or update.
“Nice hearing from you” uses a gerund and can be understood as “the experience of hearing from you is nice.” However, it sounds more casual and less idiomatic in many situations. It may work when describing an ongoing or repeated experience, but it is usually not the best choice for a professional greeting.
The Best Trick to Remember the Difference
Use the to + verb pattern when you are reacting to a specific message: It is nice to hear from you. Think of “to hear” as pointing toward the pleasant event of receiving the message.
Use “hearing” only when you want to emphasize the experience or activity itself. A useful swap test is to replace the phrase with “It is enjoyable receiving your messages.” If that meaning sounds intentional, hearing may work. Otherwise, choose to hear.
| Word | Part of Speech | Meaning | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nice to hear from you | Fixed phrase | A pleasant response to receiving someone’s communication | Nice to hear from you after all this time. |
| Nice hearing from you | Gerund phrase | A casual comment about the pleasant experience of receiving communication | It is nice hearing from you regularly. |
How to Use “Nice to Hear from You”
“Nice to hear from you” is the most natural and widely accepted expression. It is used after someone contacts you, especially when you have not communicated recently or when the person has shared useful, welcome, or encouraging news.
The phrase is friendly without being overly informal. It works in personal conversations, business emails, customer service messages, networking correspondence, and follow-up notes. In a formal email, you can make it slightly more polished with phrases such as “It was nice to hear from you” or “It is very nice to hear from you.”
Example 1: Nice to hear from you. I hope everything is going well.
Example 2: It was nice to hear from you after the conference.
Example 3: Nice to hear from you, and thank you for sending the updated proposal.
Etymology of the phrase “Nice to Hear from You”
The phrase combines the adjective nice, meaning pleasant or agreeable, with the infinitive phrase to hear. The expression hear from someone developed to mean receiving communication or news from that person, rather than simply perceiving their voice. Together, the words form a conventional social response to contact.
How to Use “Nice Hearing from You”
“Nice hearing from you” is grammatically valid, but it is less common than “nice to hear from you.” The word hearing is a gerund, so it treats communication as an activity or experience. The phrase often sounds most natural when it refers to repeated contact, an ongoing relationship, or a continuing pattern of communication.
In some contexts, the phrase may sound slightly unusual because English speakers generally use the established expression “nice to hear from you” when replying to one specific message. For this reason, “nice hearing from you” is best reserved for relaxed conversation or sentences that clearly describe an ongoing experience.
Example 1: It has been nice hearing from you every week while you are traveling.
Example 2: Nice hearing from you again; let’s stay in touch.
Example 3: It is nice hearing from former students who are doing well.
Etymology of the phrase “Nice Hearing from You”
This phrase uses the same words as “nice to hear from you,” but it replaces the infinitive to hear with the gerund hearing. The gerund presents hearing from someone as an activity or ongoing experience. Although the construction is grammatically sound, it has not become the dominant fixed expression in everyday English.
Related Concepts
Understanding infinitives, gerunds, and fixed expressions makes the difference between these phrases easier to recognize.
- Infinitives: An infinitive uses to plus the base form of a verb, as in to hear. Infinitives commonly describe an action, event, purpose, or anticipated experience.
- Gerunds: A gerund is the -ing form of a verb used as a noun or noun-like expression. In hearing from you, the communication experience is treated as an activity.
- Fixed expressions: Some phrases become conventional through frequent use. Nice to hear from you is a standard social formula, which is why it sounds more natural than the less common alternative.
- Hear from: The phrasal verb hear from means to receive communication, news, or a response from someone.
Examples from Media and Literature
The preferred phrase appears in many types of communication, including dialogue, letters, emails, and personal correspondence. The following examples show how it functions in realistic contexts:
- In a novel: A character may write, “It was nice to hear from you after so many years,” when reconnecting with an old friend.
- In a workplace drama: A manager might begin a follow-up email with, “Nice to hear from you. I have reviewed your proposal.”
- In a romantic film: A character may say, “It’s nice to hear from you,” after receiving an unexpected phone call.
- In a news interview: A host may welcome a returning guest by saying, “It’s nice to hear from you again.”
- In personal correspondence: A letter may close with, “It was nice to hear from you, and I hope we can meet soon.”
Nice to Hear from You Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Good to hear from you | A friendly way to say that receiving someone’s message is welcome. |
| It is great to hear from you | A warmer and more enthusiastic version of the standard phrase. |
| Glad to hear from you | A direct expression of happiness about receiving contact. |
| It is a pleasure to hear from you | A more formal and courteous alternative. |
Nice Hearing from You Synonyms
| Synonym | Definition |
|---|---|
| Enjoy hearing from you | Expresses pleasure in receiving someone’s messages, often repeatedly. |
| I enjoy your messages | Emphasizes appreciation for the messages themselves. |
| It is pleasant to receive your messages | A clearer, more formal way to express the same general idea. |
| I always appreciate hearing from you | Highlights ongoing appreciation for regular communication. |
Frequently Asked Questions
Question 1: Is “nice to hear from you” correct?
Yes. “Nice to hear from you” is correct, natural, and the most commonly used expression when responding to someone’s message, call, letter, or news.
Question 2: Is “nice hearing from you” grammatically correct?
Yes, but it is less common and more conversational. It usually works best when describing repeated or ongoing communication rather than reacting to one specific message.
Question 3: Which phrase is better for a professional email?
Use “nice to hear from you.” It is conventional, polished, and appropriate for most professional situations. You can also write “It was a pleasure to hear from you” for a more formal tone.
Conclusion
“Nice to hear from you” is the standard choice for welcoming a message or update. “Nice hearing from you” is valid but less idiomatic and better suited to casual references to ongoing communication. Pro Tip: In professional writing, choosing the conventional phrase helps your message sound fluent, clear, and polished.
