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Explained: ‘I’ll Be In Touch’ vs. ‘I’ll Be In Touch With You!

Explained: ‘I’ll Be In Touch’ vs. ‘I’ll Be In Touch With You!

Ever been on a date where you really liked a person and wanted to go on some more? Ending the date with such a person by just saying goodbye can be a task. So how do you tell them you want to see them again?

Saying the right thing can often be difficult at the moment, and even more so when you consider the long-term implications of your statement.

In most cases, this means choosing your words carefully when speaking with another person. Unless you want to risk giving off the appearance that you just want to keep them around as friends (which is fine! It’s just not what you were going for at the time), it’s usually better to err on the side of caution and use phrases like “I look forward to speaking with you again soon”

Two such phrases that are widely used by people when saying goodbye are “I’ll be in touch” and “I’ll be in touch with you”. People tend to get confused between the two and also think that they’re the same. However, that isn’t the case. These two phrases differ in their meaning and the context in which they are used. This article aims to clear all such differences.

What is a Phrase?

A phrase is a group of words without a subject or a predicate, expressing a complete thought.

A group of words in English that express meaning but do not contain both a subject and its verb is called a phrase.

Here are some examples:

  • Running makes me happy.
  • The phone was on the table
  • He won against his favorite team.

All of these are examples of phrases because they’re a group of words that makes a sentence.

What is a Clause?

All clauses contain a subject and a verb, but clauses can also be divided into different categories based on how many items are in them (one or more).

“I took my dog for a walk, read two chapters of my book, and watered all of my flowers.” Here we have three clauses; they each contain their own subjects and verbs: I, took, and read as well as phrases like my dog for a walk, which is called an appositive because it identifies exactly what we mean by that phrase.

A black and gold box with positive phrases written on it
A frame with some phrases

“I’ll Be In Touch”

It’s not clear whether I’ll be in touch has one meaning or a variety of meanings. To me, it seems to mean something like I’ll get back to you, but it could also mean keep me posted on your progress, and I’ll do likewise. The phrase is vague enough that it could mean either thing depending on context and tone of voice. That ambiguity makes ill be in touch more useful than just saying I’ll get back to you.

For example, if someone asks if you can meet for lunch tomorrow and you don’t know if that will work with your schedule, saying I’ll be in touch gives them an answer without making any promises about what your response will be.

If you say I’ll get back to you, they might take that as a promise that you will definitely respond with an answer by some specific time. But if you say I’ll be in touch, they won’t expect anything from you until they hear from you again.

They might even interpret your statement as implying that there’s no chance of meeting for lunch tomorrow because there’s no way to know what else might come up between now and then. Another advantage of using I’ll be in touch instead of I’ll get back to you is it doesn’t require any follow-up action on your part once someone says it to you.

“I’ll Be In Touch With You!”

I’ll be in touch with you is a very vague term that can lead to confusion. It’s typically used when someone wants to tell you that they will keep you informed but they are not yet ready to say exactly how they will do it or when they will do it. For example, if someone asks what days and times are you open? And if your hours change regularly (because of season, etc.) then you could reply with I’ll be in touch with you about that.

Basically what that means is you don’t know but plan on getting back to them soon, ideally before too much time has passed since their initial question/request for information. But I’ll be in touch with you doesn’t have to mean that at all. The person may simply want you to wait while they figure out an answer instead of giving one right away.

This is also common because often people need more than just one day to respond, so using ill be in touch lets them buy some time without saying as much right away or putting themselves on a timeline. So overall there really isn’t any concrete definition because its meaning varies depending on who says it and why they’re saying it.

Women sitting beside a table talking
Women sitting beside a table having a casual conversation

Phrases You Can Use To Say Goodbye

There are a lot of different phrases that you could use when saying goodbye to a person you’ve just met, and “I’ll be in touch” is one that often gets thrown around. You’ve likely used it yourself at one point in your life, but you might not have stopped to think about the real implications of this phrase.

Essentially, when you tell someone you’ll be in touch, what you’re really saying is that you’d like to keep them around as a friend. While this is fine and often what people are going for when they say this, it’s not what you may want to portray in a given situation.

On the other hand, there’s a different phrase that you could use when saying goodbye to someone you’ve just met, and this one actually has a lot of romantic value. When you tell someone that you’ll be in touch with them, you’re not just saying that you want to keep them around as a friend. You’re actually saying that you’d like to continue your relationship with them in a romantic way.

This is a much bolder statement than “I’ll be in touch,” and therefore it should only be used when you’re truly ready to take your relationship to the next level.

Apart from these two here are some other phrases you can use to say goodbye:

  • Bye!
  • Bye for now
  • See you! / See ya!
  • See you soon!
  • I’m off.
  • Cheerio!

The Difference Between Them

As we’ve discussed, “I’ll be in touch” is a phrase that’s used when someone wants to stay friends. On the other hand, “I’ll be in touch with you” is a phrase that can be used when someone wants to start dating.

Essentially, “I’ll be in touch” is a statement that indicates that someone just wants to keep the current relationship status quo. “I’ll be in touch with you,” on the other hand, is a statement that indicates that someone wants to start dating.

These are two phrases commonly used by business people and in one way or another they sound very similar, but do they mean exactly the same thing? Are they interchangeable with each other or is there a difference between them both? As a matter of fact, there is a definite difference between ill be in touch and ill be in touch with you. It all has to do with an inflection which is basically how you say it when speaking to someone else, especially in a phone conversation.

Let’s start off by saying that I’ll be in touch and I’ll be in touch with you have different meanings when said at various points throughout a conversation. To understand what those differences are we need to first look at where each phrase is most appropriate.

The phrase I’ll be in touch is more often than not used as an opening line or as an ending line from a conversation whereas I’ll be in touch with you can only be said after something has been discussed already. To further explain let’s take a look at some examples:

When asked if she was going to attend her friend’s wedding: I’ll be in touch would mean she had not yet made up her mind about attending but will get back to her friend soon on whether she will go or not.

I’ll be in touch with you is used when someone wants to start datingI’ll be in touch is used when someone wants to keep the current relationship status quo
I’ll be in touch is more often than not used as an opening line or as an ending line.I’ll be in touch with you can only be said after something has been discussed already.
When to use I’ll be in touch and I’ll be in touch with you

Why Is Saying Goodbye So Hard?

As we’ve discussed in the introduction, saying goodbye can be an awkward experience. This is especially true if you don’t know how to navigate the situation with tact, or if you’re not aware of what your words mean in that given context.

Even if you’re in a relationship, saying goodbye to someone can feel weird and unnatural if you don’t know exactly what you’re trying to communicate. While the general idea is that you want to leave things on a positive note so that there’s a chance it could go somewhere meaningful, it can be difficult to know exactly what words to use.

The phrases I’ll be in touch with and I’ll be in touch with you are used a lot by people when saying goodbye to friends or family. The tone of these two phrases is informal and therefore they are often not used when speaking to your superior such as your boss or your teachers.

Final Words

In most cases, saying goodbye to someone you’ve just met can be an awkward situation. This is especially true if you don’t know how to navigate the situation with tact, or if you’re not aware of what your words mean in that given context.

It can be difficult to know exactly what words to use when speaking with another person, especially when you consider the long-term implications of your statement. In most cases, it’s best to err on the side of caution and use phrases like “I’ll be in touch with you” rather than something like “I’ll be in touch.”

Conclusion

  • The building blocks of sentences are phrases and clauses
  • The phrases “I’ll keep in touch” and “I’ll keep in touch with you” aren’t interchangeable and you should know when to use which
  • You should keep in mind the context in which these two phrases are used when saying goodbye or ending a conversation

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