SpeakUp

face a challenge — deal with a difficult situation

collocationB1IELTS 5+neutralcommon

to be in a situation where you have to deal with something difficult or demanding

Say it like a native

Textbook We are confronted with a formidable predicament.

Native We're facing a real challenge.

'Confronted with a formidable predicament' is heavy; 'face a challenge' is natural.

Pattern: face a/an challenge/problem/difficulty

In use

  • Many students face a challenge when they move to a new country for university.daily life
  • In my opinion, people face a challenge when they try to balance work and family life, especially in big cities.IELTS speaking

Common mistake

✗ We are facing with many challenges.

✓ We are facing many challenges.

'Face a challenge' takes no 'with' ('be faced WITH' is the passive form).

Common collocations

  • face a challenge — a big, many, head-on, tough

Don't confuse it

'Overcome a challenge' means to succeed after facing it, while 'face a challenge' means to experience or deal with it.

Practice speaking with instant AI feedback →