O Phrasal Verb 'Face up to' (Aceitar a Realidade)
tough.
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 (encara) o fato de ter ganhado na loteria.face up to o fato de ser viciado em café gelado e não ter economias. É um verbo 'pesado'; ele carrega o peso da responsabilidade. Pense nele como o verbo do 'chega de desculpas'.facing up to (encarando) suas ações. É comum em livros de autoajuda, reuniões de negócios e conversas profundas às 3 da manhã com amigos. Sugere um certo nível de maturidade.face up to seus erros, você não consegue crescer. Também é uma ótima maneira de soar mais como um falante nativo. Em vez de dizer preciso aceitar minha dívida, você diz
preciso face up to minha situação financeira.How This Grammar Works
face up to é um phrasal verb de três partes, transitivo e inseparável. Vamos desmembrar isso. 'Transitivo' significa que ele precisa de um objeto.I faced up. Você tem que face up to alguma coisa. 'Inseparável' significa que as três palavras (face, up e to) devem permanecer juntas como melhores amigos em uma festa.I faced the truth up to. Isso soa como se você estivesse tentando inventar um novo idioma.
face + up + to + [substantivo/gerúndio]. Como termina em uma preposição (to), qualquer verbo que o siga deve estar na forma -ing (o gerúndio). Por exemplo, você precisa face up to perder sua sequência no Duolingo.faces, faced, is facing e has faced. O up e o to nunca mudam; eles são os pilares estáveis da frase.must, should ou need to. É raro vê-lo no imperativo (Face up to it!) porque soa bastante agressivo. Geralmente é uma reflexão ou um conselho.
Formation Pattern
face, conjugado de acordo com o tempo (ex: face, faces, faced).
up e a Preposição to imediatamente depois.
-ing).
When To Use It
os governos devem face up to a crise ambiental.eu finalmente faced up to o fato de que sou um péssimo cozinheiro. Use-o para a tecnologia: temos que face up to quanto tempo perdemos nas redes sociais. Também é ótimo para relacionamentos: ele não queria face up to o fato de que o relacionamento havia acabado.temos que face up to nosso desempenho de hoje.facing up to a realidade bagunçada da vida é, na verdade, um conceito muito poderoso. É o equivalente verbal de uma foto 'sem filtro'; é cru, honesto e muito nível C1.
Common Mistakes
to. Os alunos costumam dizer preciso face up a verdade. Isso está incorreto. Sem o to, o sentido desaparece no ar. Outro erro é confundi-lo apenas com face. Embora face the truth seja gramaticalmente correto, face up to the truthadiciona uma camada extra de luta interna.
face é frequentemente externo (enfrentar um desafio), enquanto face up to é mais interno (aceitar uma verdade que você não queria ver). Não o use para coisas positivas. Dizer preciso face up to o fato de ser bonito soa como se você achasse que ser bonito é um fardo terrível, o que pode fazer você parecer um pouco pretensioso. Além disso, lembre-se da regra do gerúndio. Não diga she faced up to lose her job. Deve ser she faced up to losing her job. O to aqui é uma preposição, não parte de um infinitivo. Se você o tratar como um infinitivo, parecerá um iniciante, e não podemos permitir isso no nível C1!Contrast With Similar Patterns
Face up tovs.Accept:Accepté o termo geral.Face up toimplica que houve uma negação ou evitação anterior. Vocêaccept(aceita) um presente; vocêface up to(encara) um erro.Face up tovs.Deal with:Face up toé a aceitação mental.Deal withé a ação física de consertar algo. Vocêface up too fato de que seu carro está quebrado e, em seguida,deal with(lida com) o mecânico.Face up tovs.Confront:Confronté mais agressivo e geralmente envolve duas pessoas. Vocêconfront(confronta) um mentiroso. Vocêface up to(encara) suas próprias mentiras.Face up tovs.Own up to:Own up toé especificamente para admitir que fez algo errado (confessar).Face up totrata de aceitar a realidade de uma situação, independentemente de você tê-la causado ou não.
Quick FAQ
P: face up to é formal?
R: É neutro a semiformal. Você pode usá-lo em uma redação ou em uma conversa com seu chefe.
P: Posso dizer Encare isso! (Face up to it!) para o meu irmão?
R: Sim, mas soa como se você estivesse lhe dando uma bronca. É bem direto.
P: Precisa ser sempre algo negativo?
R: Quase sempre. É para coisas difíceis de admitir.
P: Qual é a diferença entre face up to e face up?
R: No inglês moderno, face up é usado principalmente para cartas de baralho (a carta está virada para cima). Para o sentido de 'aceitar a realidade', você DEVE incluir o to.
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
| Estrutura | Significado | Exemplo (Inglês) | Exemplo (Tradução) |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Verb + up to + Noun
|
Aceitar verdade/consequência desagradável
|
You must face up to your mistakes.
|
Você deve aceitar seus erros.
|
|
Verb + up to + Gerund
|
Aceitar ação/situação desagradável
|
They faced up to losing the game.
|
Eles aceitaram perder o jogo.
|
|
Verb + up to + Pronoun
|
Aceitar isso/aquilo (desagradável)
|
It's hard, but I'll face up to it.
|
É difícil, mas eu vou aceitar.
|
|
Common: `face up to the fact that...`
|
Reconhecer um fato difícil específico
|
She faced up to the fact that she was wrong.
|
Ela assumiu o fato de que estava errada.
|
|
Don't separate (inseparable)
|
Manter a ordem das palavras
|
She faced up to the challenge.
|
Ela se enfrentou ao desafio.
|
|
Used for difficult/negative things
|
Não para coisas positivas ou triviais
|
He faced up to bankruptcy.
|
Ele enfrentou a falência.
|
Espectro de formalidade
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)
O Mundo de 'Face Up To'
Significado Central
- Acknowledge Reconhecer a existência de
- Accept Receber como verdadeiro/válido
- Confront Lidar com algo difícil
- Responsibility Dever de lidar com algo
Objetos Típicos
- Truth Um fato desagradável
- Consequences Resultados de ações
- Mistakes Erros de julgamento/ação
- Reality O mundo como ele realmente existe
- Problems Desafios difíceis
- Fact Uma informação
Características Principais
- Inseparable Palavras sempre juntas
- Transitive Requer um objeto
- Figurative Não literal 'enfrentar'
- C1 Level Uso avançado
'Face Up To' vs. Frases Semelhantes
Devo Usar 'Face Up To'?
A realidade que você está discutindo é desagradável, difícil ou desafiadora?
Você está enfatizando o ato de reconhecer E aceitar essa realidade (não apenas gerenciá-la)?
Sua frase está estruturada como 'Sujeito + face(s) up to + Substantivo/Gerúndio/Pronome'?
O Que 'Face Up To'
Desafios Pessoais
- • Seus erros
- • Seus medos
- • Defeitos pessoais
- • Hábitos negativos
- • Verdades difíceis sobre si mesmo
Realidades Externas
- • A desaceleração econômica
- • Uma crítica ruim
- • Perder um ente querido
- • Aquecimento global
- • Rejeição de emprego
Responsabilidades e Consequências
- • Falha do projeto
- • Dívida financeira
- • Ramificações legais
- • Deveres parentais
- • Decisões impopulares
Exemplos por nível
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.
Fácil de confundir
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).
Erros comuns
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.
Padrões de frases
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.
Trio Inseparável
She faced up to her responsibilities.
Não para Coisas Positivas!
face up to losing your wallet.
Enfatize a Aceitação
He finally faced up to the fact that he needed help.
Profissional e Pessoal
We need to face up to the challenges ahead.
Poder do Gerúndio
face up to studying for the exam.
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.
Pronúncia
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.
Memorize
Mnemônico
FACE the truth, stand UP tall, and go TO the reality.
Associação visual
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
Desafio
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.
Notas culturais
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'.
Iniciadores de conversa
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?
Temas para diário
Erros comuns
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
Exercicios praticos
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
Perguntas frequentes (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
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