Be up for something means keen and ready to take part: Are you up for a short walk after lunch? It's a casual 'are you in?'. The second meaning is being offered or considered: a house up for sale is being sold, a film up for an award is nominated, and someone up for promotion is a candidate.
Want to use up for in conversation?
Write a sentence — we'll show the mistakes right away and suggest how to say it more naturally.
The check is taking longer than usual. Your feedback will appear here automatically.
be up for + noun / -ing; be up for sale / promotion / an award
- Are you up for a short walk after lunch?
- I'm up for helping with the decorations, but I can't stay late.
- Her first documentary is up for a regional award.
What changed
First versionAre you up for join us at the outdoor cinema?
RevisionAre you up for joining us at the outdoor cinema?
Ready to join and keen to join make the plain verb feel natural: up for join. But for is a preposition, and the verb after it takes -ing: up for joining. With join changed to joining, the invitation is correct.
Up to something means able to handle it: Is he up to the job? Up for something means willing: Are you up for a challenge? Feel like doing is only about wanting, while up for also means you're ready to join in.
Your turn
Ask whether someone wants to take part: Are you up for ___ a small dinner party?
Show the answer
hosting — For is a preposition, so the verb after it takes -ing: up for hosting. Host without the ending can't follow a preposition.
Invite a friend on a bike ride out of town on Saturday in one sentence with are you up for.
Are you up for a bike ride out of town on Saturday?
Learn to use new words without mistakes
Write phrases with the words you are learning. LetsWords shows mistakes in usage and grammar, suggests corrections and explains them, and review helps the words stick.