Grammar Rule in 30 Seconds
Use 'face up to' when someone finally stops avoiding a difficult truth and accepts it with courage.
- Always use 'up' and 'to' together; never say 'face to' or 'face up'.
- It is inseparable: the object must come after 'to' (e.g., 'face up to it').
- Follow 'to' with a noun or a gerund (-ing form), never a base verb.
Overview
face up to（直面する）ことはありません。アイスラテ中毒で貯金がないという事実に face up to するのです。これは「重い」動詞であり、責任の重さを伴います。「言い訳はもういらない」動詞だと考えてください。現代の文脈では、不祥事の後にユーチューバーが謝罪動画を投稿するときに起こることです。彼らはようやく（願わくば）自分の行動に facing up to（向き合って）いるのです。自己啓発本やビジネス会議、深夜3時の友人との深い会話でよく使われます。これはある程度の成熟度を示唆しています。自分の間違いに face up to できなければ、成長することはできません。また、ネイティブスピーカーのように聞こえる素晴らしい方法でもあります。「借金を受け入れる必要がある」と言う代わりに、「自分の財政状況に face up to する必要がある」と言います。その方が自然で感情に響きます。ただし、嬉しいことには使わないでください。皮肉を言っていると思われてしまいます。How This Grammar Works
face up to は他動詞で、分離不可能な3語からなる句動詞です。詳しく見ていきましょう。「他動詞」とは目的語が必要であることを意味します。単に I faced up と言うことはできません。何かに face up to しなければなりません。「分離不可能」とは、3つの単語（face, up, to）がパーティーの親友同士のように一緒にいなければならないことを意味します。目的語を間に挟むことはできません。I faced the truth up toとは言えません。それは新しい言語を作ろうとしているように聞こえます。常に
face + up + to + [名詞/動名詞] の順序に従います。前置詞（to）で終わるため、その後に続く動詞は必ず -ing 形（動名詞）にする必要があります。例えば、Duolingoの連続記録が途切れたことに face up to する必要がある などです。活用に関しては普通の動詞のように振る舞います。faces, faced, is facing, has faced などがあります。up と to は決して変わりません。これらはフレーズの安定した柱です。この動詞は、must, should, need to などの助動詞の後の不定詞としてよく使われます。命令形（Face up to it!）で見ることは稀です。かなり攻撃的に聞こえるからです。通常は反省やアドバイスとして使われます。
Formation Pattern
face を加えます（例：face, faces, faced）。
up と 前置詞 to を加えます。
-ing）です。
When To Use It
政府は環境危機に face up to（真剣に向き合う）しなければならない。自己成長のために使います。自分が料理下手だという事実にようやく faced up to（向き合った）。テクノロジーのために使います。SNSにどれだけ時間を浪費しているかに face up to しなければならない。人間関係にも最適です。彼は関係が終わったという事実に face up to しようとしなかった。基本的に「現実を直視する」ことが関わっているなら、これがあなたの使うべき動詞です。スポーツの実況でもよく使われます。チームがチャンピオンシップで負けたとき、コーチは 今日の自分たちのパフォーマンスに face up to しなければならない と言うかもしれません。それはリーダーシップを示しており、隠れないことを意味します。フィルターや厳選されたインスタグラムのフィードの時代において、人生の散らかった現実に facing up to することは、実はかなり強力な概念です。それは「ノーフィルター」写真の言葉版です。生々しく、正直で、まさにC1レベルです。
Common Mistakes
to を落とすことです。学習者はよく I need to face up the truth と言いますが、これは間違いです。to がないと意味が消えてしまいます。もう一つの間違いは、単なる face と混同することです。face the truth は文法的に正しいですが、face up to the truthは内面的な葛藤の層を加えます。
face はしばしば外部的（課題に立ち向かう）ですが、face up to はより内面的（見たくなかった真実を受け入れる）です。ポジティブなことには使わないでください。自分が美しいという事実に face up to する必要がある と言うと、美しいことがひどい負担であると考えているように聞こえ、少し気取っているように聞こえるかもしれません。また、動名詞のルールを忘れないでください。She faced up to lose her job とは言わず、She faced up to losing her job と言う必要があります。ここでの to は前置詞であり、不定詞の一部ではありません。不定詞のように扱うと、初心者のように聞こえてしまいます。C1レベルではそれは許されません！Contrast With Similar Patterns
Face up tovs.Accept:Acceptは一般的な用語です。Face up toは以前に否定や回避があったことを暗示します。プレゼントをaccept（受け取る）しますが、間違いにface up to（向き合う）します。Face up tovs.Deal with:Face up toは精神的な受け入れです。Deal withはそれを修正するための物理的な行動です。車が壊れているという事実にface up toし、それから整備士とdeal with（対処する）します。Face up tovs.Confront:Confrontはより攻撃的で、しばしば二人以上の人が関わります。嘘つきにconfront（立ち向かう）しますが、自分の嘘にface up to（向き合う）します。Face up tovs.Own up to:Own up toは特に何か悪いことをしたと認める（白状する）ときに使われます。Face up toは、自分が原因かどうかにかかわらず、状況の現実を受け入れることです。
Quick FAQ
face up to はフォーマルですか？
中立からセミフォーマルです。エッセイや上司との会話で使えます。
弟に
Face up to it!（現実を見ろ！）と言ってもいいですか？
はい、でも叱っているように聞こえます。かなり直接的です。
常にネガティブなことでなければなりませんか？
ほとんどの場合そうです。認めるのが難しいことに対して使われます。
face up to と face up の違いは何ですか？
現代英語では、face up は主にトランプのカードに使われます（カードが表を向いている）。「現実を受け入れる」という意味では、必ず to を含める必要があります。
Conjugating 'Face up to'
| Tense | Subject | Form | Object Example |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Present Simple
|
I / You / We / They
|
face up to
|
the truth
|
|
Present Simple
|
He / She / It
|
faces up to
|
the truth
|
|
Past Simple
|
All subjects
|
faced up to
|
the reality
|
|
Present Continuous
|
I
|
am facing up to
|
the facts
|
|
Present Continuous
|
He / She / It
|
is facing up to
|
the facts
|
|
Present Perfect
|
I / You / We / They
|
have faced up to
|
my mistakes
|
|
Future (Will)
|
All subjects
|
will face up to
|
the challenge
|
|
Gerund Form
|
N/A
|
facing up to
|
the situation
|
Contractions with 'Face up to'
| Type | Full Form | Contracted Form |
|---|---|---|
|
Negative Present
|
I do not face up to
|
I don't face up to
|
|
Negative Past
|
She did not face up to
|
She didn't face up to
|
|
Future Negative
|
They will not face up to
|
They won't face up to
|
|
Modal Negative
|
We cannot face up to
|
We can't face up to
|
Meanings
To accept that a difficult or unpleasant situation exists, especially when you have been avoiding it or pretending it isn't true.
Accepting Truth
Acknowledging a reality that is painful or inconvenient.
“You need to face up to the truth about your health.”
“She couldn't face up to the reality of the situation.”
Taking Responsibility
Accepting the consequences of one's actions or duties.
“It's time you faced up to your responsibilities as a parent.”
“The company must face up to its role in the environmental crisis.”
Confronting Challenges
Preparing oneself to deal with a looming difficulty.
“We must face up to the challenges of climate change.”
“The team is facing up to a difficult season ahead.”
Reference Table
| 構造 | 意味 | 例 (英語) | 例 (日本語) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Verb + up to + Noun
|
不快な真実・結果を受け入れる
|
You must face up to your mistakes.
|
あなたは自分の間違いを認めなければならない。
|
|
Verb + up to + Gerund
|
不快な行動・状況を受け入れる
|
They faced up to losing the game.
|
彼らは試合に負けたことを受け入れた。
|
|
Verb + up to + Pronoun
|
不快なそれらを受け入れる
|
It's hard, but I'll face up to it.
|
難しいけれど、私はそれを受け入れるだろう。
|
|
Common: `face up to the fact that...`
|
特定の困難な事実を認める
|
She faced up to the fact that she was wrong.
|
彼女は自分が間違っていたという事実を認めた。
|
|
Don't separate (inseparable)
|
語順を守る
|
She faced up to the challenge.
|
彼女はその困難に立ち向かった。
|
|
Used for difficult/negative things
|
ポジティブなことや些細なことには使わない
|
He faced up to bankruptcy.
|
彼が破産を受け入れた。
|
フォーマル度スペクトル
The department must face up to the fact that the initiative has not met its objectives. (Workplace)
We need to face up to the project's failure. (Workplace)
We've gotta face up to it—the project's a bust. (Workplace)
Time to face up, guys; this thing is dead in the water. (Workplace)
「Face Up To」の世界
核となる意味
- Acknowledge 認識する
- Accept 受け入れる
- Confront 直面する
- Responsibility 責任
一般的な目的語
- Truth 真実
- Consequences 結果
- Mistakes 間違い
- Reality 現実
- Problems 問題
- Fact 事実
主要な特徴
- Inseparable 切り離せない
- Transitive 他動詞
- Figurative 比喩的
- C1 Level C1レベル
「Face Up To」と類似表現の比較
「Face Up To」を使うべき？
話している現実が不愉快、困難、または挑戦的ですか？
その現実を「認識し、受け入れる」行為を強調していますか（単に対処するだけでなく）？
文の構造は「Subject + face(s) up to + Noun/Gerund/Pronoun」ですか？
「Face Up To」するもの
個人的な課題
- • 自分の間違い
- • 自分の恐れ
- • 個人的な欠点
- • 悪い習慣
- • 自分に関する困難な真実
外的な現実
- • 景気後退
- • 悪い評価
- • 愛する人の死
- • 地球温暖化
- • 就職の不採用
責任と結果
- • プロジェクトの失敗
- • 財政的な負債
- • 法的影響
- • 親としての義務
- • 不人気な決定
レベル別の例文
I face up to the problem.
I accept the problem.
She faces up to her mistakes.
She accepts her mistakes.
Do you face up to the truth?
Do you accept the truth?
He does not face up to it.
He does not accept it.
You must face up to your homework.
You must accept you have homework.
They faced up to the loss.
They accepted the loss.
We are facing up to the news.
We are accepting the news.
She didn't face up to the bill.
She didn't accept the bill.
It's time to face up to your responsibilities.
It's time to accept your duties.
He is finally facing up to his drinking problem.
He is finally admitting he has a problem.
I can't face up to going back to work.
I can't accept the idea of going back.
Have you faced up to the fact that she's gone?
Have you accepted that she left?
The government needs to face up to the housing crisis.
The government must acknowledge the crisis.
Facing up to failure is part of the learning process.
Accepting failure helps you learn.
She had to face up to being wrong in front of everyone.
She had to accept being wrong publicly.
They haven't yet faced up to the consequences of their actions.
They haven't accepted the results of what they did.
We must face up to the harsh reality of the economic downturn.
We must accept the difficult economic situation.
Few people are willing to face up to their own prejudices.
Few people admit their biases.
The industry is finally facing up to its carbon footprint.
The industry is acknowledging its environmental impact.
He struggled to face up to the inevitability of his retirement.
He found it hard to accept he had to retire.
The protagonist's failure to face up to his hubris leads to the tragedy.
His refusal to accept his pride causes the disaster.
Society must face up to the ethical implications of AI development.
Society must acknowledge the moral issues of AI.
There is a profound difference between merely facing a crisis and facing up to it.
Encountering a crisis is different from acknowledging its depth.
The administration is being forced to face up to the systemic inequities it ignored.
They are forced to admit the unfair systems.
間違えやすい
Learners use 'face up to' for simple physical directions or simple encounters.
'Faced with' is passive/situational; 'face up to' is active/psychological.
'Face up' (without 'to') usually refers to the position of an object (like a playing card).
よくある間違い
I face up the truth.
I face up to the truth.
He face up to it.
He faces up to it.
Face up to the truth!
Face up to the truth!
I face to the problem.
I face up to the problem.
She faced up to go.
She faced up to going.
They face up to it not.
They don't face up to it.
Face the truth up to.
Face up to the truth.
I'm facing up to the fact to be late.
I'm facing up to the fact that I'm late.
He faced up to his mistakes yesterday.
He faced up to his mistakes yesterday.
We must face up to the realitys.
We must face up to the realities.
The reality was faced up to by him.
He faced up to the reality.
He faced up to have been wrong.
He faced up to having been wrong.
She faced up to the fact of her failure.
She faced up to her failure.
They faced up to the challenge's difficulty.
They faced up to the difficulty of the challenge.
文型パターン
It's time you faced up to ___.
He is struggling to face up to ___.
Unless we face up to ___, we will never solve the problem.
I can't face up to ___ right now.
Real World Usage
I had to face up to the fact that my previous strategy wasn't working.
We need to face up to our problems instead of ignoring them.
The nation must face up to the reality of the energy crisis.
It's time for certain influencers to face up to their problematic pasts.
You have to face up to the fact that you need surgery.
Facing up to your debt is the first step to financial freedom.
切れないトリオ
She faced up to the fact that she was wrong.
ポジティブなことには使わない！
He had to face up to the bad news.
「受け入れ」を強調する
She finally faced up to her chronic illness.
フォーマルでもパーソナルでも
動名詞もOK！
face up to studyingのように使います。
He needs to face up to taking responsibility.
Smart Tips
Try replacing 'accept' with 'face up to' to sound more like a native speaker.
Always check if the next word should be an -ing verb. 90% of the time, it should be.
Add the adjective 'harsh' before 'reality'. It's a very common collocation.
Use 'face up to the fact that' to introduce a complex idea or clause.
発音
Linking
The 'p' in 'up' often links to the 't' in 'to', sounding like 'up-tuh'.
Stress
The primary stress is on the verb 'face', but 'up' receives a secondary stress. 'To' is usually unstressed (schwa).
Falling intonation
You need to face up to the TRUTH. ↘
Conveys a sense of finality and seriousness.
暗記しよう
記憶術
FACE the truth, stand UP tall, and go TO the reality.
視覚的連想
Imagine a person standing at the edge of a dark forest (the problem). Instead of turning around and running, they look 'UP' at the tall trees and walk 'TO' them. They are no longer hiding.
Rhyme
Don't hide or run away, face up to the truth today.
Story
John lost his job but told his wife he was still working. Every morning he went to the park. Finally, he couldn't live the lie anymore. He went home and faced up to the truth. He admitted he was unemployed, and they made a plan together.
Word Web
チャレンジ
Write down one thing you have been procrastinating or avoiding. Now, write a sentence: 'I need to face up to...' and finish it with that task.
文化メモ
Commonly used in political debates to demand 'stiff upper lip' accountability.
Often associated with 'self-help' culture and personal growth narratives.
Used as a 'soft' way to discuss failure without using the word 'fail'.
The verb 'face' comes from the Old French 'face' (countenance/front), which derives from Latin 'facies'.
会話のきっかけ
What is a difficult truth that society needs to face up to?
Have you ever had to face up to a big mistake at work?
Is it harder to face up to your own flaws or the flaws of others?
When was the last time you faced up to a fear?
日記のテーマ
よくある間違い
Test Yourself
He needs to ___ his financial problems before they get worse.
Find and fix the mistake:
She faced up the truth eventually.
Translate into English: 'Ella tuvo que aceptar las consecuencias de sus acciones.'
Answer starts with: ["S...
Which sentence is correct?
Score: /4
練習問題
8 exercisesHe finally faced ___ ___ the truth about his health.
You need to face up to ___ more responsibility.
Find and fix the mistake:
She faced the reality up to.
He finally accepted that he was wrong.
You can use 'face up to' for positive surprises like winning the lottery.
A: I think I'm failing the class. B: Well, you need to ___ and start studying.
Select the valid object.
Face up to
Score: /8
Practice Bank
12 exercisesIt took him a long time to `face up ___` his chronic procrastination.
The company faced up with their declining sales figures.
Translate into English: 'Es hora de que afrontemos nuestros miedos.'
Which sentence is grammatically correct?
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Match the sentence fragments.
It's important to `face up ___` the difficult decisions we've made.
They couldn't face the harsh facts up to.
Select the correct option:
Arrange these words into a sentence:
Translate into English: 'Tuvimos que aceptar la dolorosa verdad.'
Match the situations with their corresponding realities.
Score: /12
よくある質問 (8)
'Face' is neutral and means to encounter or look at. 'Face up to' implies you were avoiding something and now you are bravely accepting it.
Yes, if 'he' represents a difficult reality or person you've been avoiding. E.g., 'You need to face up to your boss and tell him the truth.'
It is neutral. It's perfectly fine in a business report or a casual conversation with a friend.
No. It is an inseparable phrasal verb. The particles 'up to' must stay together.
No. Use 'to' + gerund (-ing) or a noun. E.g., 'face up to losing', not 'face up to lose'.
Rarely. It almost always refers to something unpleasant, difficult, or challenging.
Synonyms include 'acknowledge', 'accept', 'confront', and 'admit'.
Technically yes ('The truth must be faced up to'), but it is much more common in the active voice.
Scaffolded Practice
1
2
3
4
Mastery Progress
Needs Practice
Improving
Strong
Mastered
In Other Languages
Hacer frente a / Enfrentarse a
English uses the particle 'up' to add psychological depth.
Faire face à / Se rendre à l'évidence
French uses a reflexive verb for the 'acceptance' nuance.
Sich einer Sache stellen
German is reflexive ('sich'), whereas English is not.
現実を直視する (Genjitsu o chokushi suru)
Japanese uses a formal Sino-Japanese compound (Kanji) for this advanced concept.
واجه الأمر (Wajaha al-amr)
Arabic relies on additional verbs rather than particles like 'up'.
面对 (Miànduì) / 正视 (Zhèngshì)
Chinese has no prepositions like 'to' or particles like 'up' in this context.
Learning Path
Prerequisites
関連動画
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