The pattern

"I'm dying to" plus a verb means you want to do something so much you can barely wait. Nobody is dying; it is friendly exaggeration, the same family as "starving" for hungry. It is informal and warm, the kind of thing you say to friends, family and colleagues you like. In a formal email use "I'm very keen to" or "I'm looking forward to" instead.

The pattern has a noun version too: "I'm dying for a coffee", "dying for a break". Verb with "to", noun with "for".

Say it out loud

Tap a sentence to hear it. Say it after the voice.

  1. With a noun it is "dying for": for a coffee, for a break, for some fresh air.

Check yourself

1What does "I'm dying to see the new place" express?
2Which is correct with a noun?
3Where does the phrase NOT fit?

Practice · 3 min

Say what you can hardly wait for. Prompt on the left, one natural sentence on the right.

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Say it today

Use it once in a real conversation before tomorrow. Out loud counts, even to yourself.