You want to show your sincere hope for another person’s well-being or even speak about your own ambitions in a work setting.
But is it appropriate to use the phrase I hope in your professional exchanges?
In this article, we’ll look at what to say instead of I hope when you want to diversify your work correspondence and avoid repetition.
7 Alternative Ways to Say “I Hope”
Below, you’ll find 7 other ways to say I hope at work:
- I trust
- I am hopeful
- I would hope
- With any luck
- I greatly anticipate
- If all goes well
- I am confident
1. I Trust
I trust is a great example of how to say I hope in a formal way.
This phrase carries a sense of confidence in the other person’s professional abilities.
After all, unlike the original phrase, it implies that you trust the other person to be doing well or to act in a certain way.
This makes it a good option for a more formal email to a fellow professional in your industry, perhaps from another organization.
Have a look at this email sample to see this phrase in action:
Dear Mr. Madsen,
I trust that this email finds you well and thatthe project is running smoothly in your capable hands.
Sincerely,
Kenneth Lemmons
2. I Am Hopeful
I am hopeful is essentially a direct synonym for I hope. However, this alternative tends to be used in a slightly different way.
For instance, rather than using I am hopeful to briefly open your email or enquire about the receiver’s well-being, you can use it to express your goals in your email.
This is a good phrase to use when you are appealing to your employer.
Namely, it shows that you have given a particular issue meaningful consideration and are seeking a specific resolution.
To see what we mean, consider this email example:
Dear Vanessa,
I have supplied a memorandum setting out my department’s request in detail.
I am hopeful that a slight increase in resources allocated to our pursuit will greatly improve company-wide productivity in the long run.
Sincerely,
DeJuan Raimi
3. I Would Hope
You can use I would hope to set out your expectations in a more polite and passive way in an email to your employees.
In short, I would hope is just a more tentative way of saying I expect.
Therefore, you can use this alternative when you want to sound authoritative yet reasonably approachable in a group email to your staff.
For instance:
Dear Staff,
I would hope that the winter break has left each of you restored and ready for a productive new quarter.
Regards,
Bernard
4. With Any Luck
With any luck is another way to express your hopes or aspirations in a message.
Therefore, this is a good phrase to use in a job application email or cover letter.
This phrase implies that you want to achieve something but have limited control over your circumstances. This makes it a very good alternative to I hope.
Therefore, instead of saying “I hope to achieve this,” you can mix up your language and say “With any luck, I will achieve this.”
Let’s see a sample email illustrating how you could use this phrase in an application to a hiring manager:
Dear Yahya,
I have recently completed my master’s degree, and, with any luck, my thesis will be selected for publishing.
I believe the knowledge I have picked up throughout my research will serve me well in this role.
Kind regards,
Samson Domingo
5. I Greatly Anticipate
Another way to say I hope using a more professional register is I greatly anticipate.
This is a good phrase to use if you are hoping to engage with the receiver of your email in the future. Thus, you want to prompt a response from them without seeming overly eager or pushy.
This phrase will show that you are enthusiastic about a particular project or idea and that you are keen to speak with the other person.
However, it still maintains a suitably formal tone for an email to a fellow professional, be it a colleague or someone from a different company.
Check out this email sample:
Dear Teyonah,
It was a pleasure to meet you, however briefly, at the conference, and I would be delighted to learn more about your research,
I greatly anticipate our next meeting and have left my details below.
Kind regards,
Genesis Grace
6. If All Goes Well
Like with any luck, the phrase if all goes well allows you to set out what you hope will be the outcome of something.
However, it also means that you acknowledge that some aspects of the situation are outside of your control.
This phrase is fairly tonally neutral, but it has a slightly more conversational register overall.
Therefore, you can use this phrase when you are discussing the future with a colleague, regardless of the nature of your relationship.
See the example below:
Dear Heidi,
I have submitted our application and, if all goes well, we will be hearing back from the council by next week.
Kind regards,
Miriam
7. I Am Confident
You can say I am confident instead of I hope when you want to encourage a trainee or new recruit at your office.
This is an especially good phrase to use if you are acting as a guide or mentor to a junior member of your team.
After all, unlike I hope, this phrase implies that you have faith in the other person’s abilities as opposed to just hoping that they will manage with a certain responsibility.
Your confidence in the new employee is sure to boost their confidence in themselves!
Therefore, let’s see how you can use this phrase in our final email example:
Dear Tien,
Although your hesitation is understandable, I am confident that you will excel in the courtroom setting.
Best of luck,
Nadia
Is It Correct to Say “I Hope”?
It is perfectly correct to say I hope when you aren’t sure how another person is doing but want to show that you wish them well.
This is an appropriate phrase to use in a professional email. It shows that you are polite and considerate without being overly familiar with the other person.
Therefore, let’s look at two email samples illustrating how you can use this phrase in practice:
On one hand, you can use this phrase to politely comment on the receiver’s well-being before getting to the point of your email. For instance:
Dear Joel,
I hope this email finds you well.
Have you made any progress on the limited company’s accounts?
Kind regards,
Ewen
On the other hand, you can use I hope to tentatively prompt a response from the other person, like so:
Dear Ms. Kayo,
As requested, I have attached my CV and references below.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Yours sincerely,
Matthew Nairn
Although it is perfectly correct to use I hope in a professional setting, this phrase is a tad standardized.
Therefore, you can use our list of suitable synonyms to mix up your phrasing and keep your work correspondence fresh!
