Be Up To - Meaning & Examples | Phrasal Verbs

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What does ‘Be Up To’ mean?

Forms: am/is/are up to · was/were up to · have/has been up to

1. What are you doing?

What are you up to? can be a friendly question about someone’s current activity or plans.

“What are you up to this afternoon?” “I’m helping Maya move some furniture.”

What have you been up to? asks about recent activities. Context can also suggest mischief: The children have hidden the scissors. What are they up to? The expression up to no good makes that suspicion explicit.

2. Able to manage a task

Be up to a task means have enough ability, strength or energy for it. This can describe a person or a thing.

I’m tired, but I’m still up to a short walk.

Is this old laptop up to editing the video?

Use a noun, pronoun or -ing form after up to in this sense: up to the job, up to it, up to carrying the boxes.

3. Someone’s choice or responsibility

It’s up to you means you can decide, or you are responsible for taking action.

We can sit inside or outside. It’s up to you.

It’s up to the organiser to book the room.

Notice the two constructions: She is up to organising it says she is capable. It is up to her to organise it says it is her responsibility. The second sentence needs to organise, not organising.

Up to a number or a time

Up to ten guests means ten at most, not exactly ten. Up to last week, I worked from home means until last week. These uses describe a limit rather than somebody’s activity or decision.

Up to or up for?

What are you up to? asks what you are doing. Are you up for a game? asks whether you want to take part. Are you up to playing? asks whether you can manage it. Desire and ability can overlap, but these questions focus on different things.

Watch: ‘Be Up To’ explained

Original lesson by iswearenglish · Watch on YouTube

Original video transcript

Hi there. To be up to. To... the verb to be with up to. This has various meanings and it's not the easiest of phrasal verbs. So, for example to start with: to be able to withstand, to be in the state to have the ability to do something ...is better I give some examples. Um... are you up to coming out for a drink? Do you ave enough energy? Do you feel in... well enough to do it? Or for example an... a machine. Is your computer up to running this program? Are the specifications high enough? OK, to be up to. Um... so to be up to the specification, to have a high enough quality, or to be in a physical state, to have enough energy, or stamina to do something. Let's try another up to. To plan or act in a suspicious way, so that people think you are planning something. OK, for example, the kids are really quiet, they are up to something. They're doing something, something that might be bad. Something that woooo... we're not sure about. OK. Um... the police arrested the man because they thought he was up to something. OK. Let's try another one. It's up to you. It's your decision. The decision is up to him. THe decision is up to the teacher. The responsibility of the decision belongs to that person. They nee... they are the person who needs to decide. So, it's up to you if you study English or not. Now a final one. These accounts are up to the 31st of October. Until. OK. So you can wo... this is up to, up to a date. Until a date. So let's l... look at these again. To be up to, to be able to withstand, to have stamina to do, to be suspicions so that people think you are doing something bad. It's your decision, it's up to you and until a certain date. So, I'll see you in another video. Bye for now.

Try it yourself

Choose an answer for each question. Check your choices, or open the answer notes to compare them yourself.

1. “The choice is up to Leo.” What does that mean?

2. Which sentence is correct when you mean “She has enough energy”?

3. “It’s up to Sam ___ the tickets.” Which completion expresses responsibility?

Answer notes

Leo can decide. This construction gives him responsibility for the choice.
She is up to walking home. In the ability meaning, use the -ing form after up to.
To buy. It is up to somebody to do something expresses responsibility, not ability.

Usage references: Cambridge: be up to, Cambridge: up to, Merriam-Webster: up to.

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