# Chắc / chắc là: probably in Vietnamese (A2)

> Chắc is the everyday way to make a guess you're fairly sure of, like "probably", "I guess" or "must be": Chắc ảnh quên rồi.

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chac-probably/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**probably**

Pattern: `Chắc (là) + [sentence] · [person] + chắc + [verb]`

Level: A2 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: chac, chac la

Variants:

- chắc hẳn (a surer chắc)
- hẳn là (surer, often written)

*Chắc* is the everyday way to make a guess you're fairly sure of, like "probably", "I guess" or "must be": *Chắc ảnh quên rồi.* He's probably forgotten (in Hà Nội, *anh ấy*). You'll hear it all the time in Saigon.

It usually opens the sentence, often as *chắc là*, which means the same: *Chắc là em tới trễ.* I'll probably be late. It can also go after the person, right before the verb or describing word: *Chị chắc mệt lắm.* You must be exhausted.

As a reply, *Chắc vậy* means "I guess so" (in Hà Nội, *Chắc thế*), and *Chắc là không* is "probably not".

The same word also means "sure". *Em có chắc không?* asks "Are you sure?", and *chắc chắn* is "definitely". The place tells you which: before a sentence or a verb, it's a guess.

*Có lẽ* (perhaps) is a softer guess and is common in writing too. *Hình như* (it seems) is for something you've heard or half remember. *Chắc* is the most confident of the three, and the most spoken. *Hẳn là* and *chắc hẳn* are surer still and more careful, common in writing: *Hẳn là anh ấy đã biết.* He must have known.

## Examples

- Saigon: Chắc ảnh quên rồi. | Hà Nội: Chắc anh ấy quên rồi. — He's probably forgotten.
- Saigon: Kẹt xe quá, chắc em tới trễ. | Hà Nội: Tắc đường quá, chắc em đến muộn. — The traffic's terrible, I'll probably be late.
- Đi cả ngày, chắc chị mệt lắm. — You've been out all day, you must be exhausted.
- Saigon: Quán đó đóng cửa rồi hả anh? | Hà Nội: Quán đó đóng cửa rồi à anh? — Has that place closed down?
- Saigon: Ừ, chắc vậy. | Hà Nội: Ừ, chắc thế. — Yeah, I guess so.

## Words in this pattern

- [chắc](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chac-probably/#lx_chac): probably
- [chắc là](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/words/chac-la/#s_chac_la): probably

## Compare

- [Perhaps: có lẽ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-le-perhaps/): perhaps
- [Opening with your view: thật ra, rõ ràng là, nói chung](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/stance-openers/): actually / clearly / in general
- [It seems: hình như, có vẻ](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/co-ve-seems/): seems
- [Completely, for good: verb + hẳn](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/han-completely/): completely
- [I'm afraid that: sợ (là), e (là)](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/so-la-afraid/): I'm afraid (that), softening bad news

Previous in Can, must, should, want: [Please, do me a favour: làm ơn + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-on-please/)
Next in Can, must, should, want: [Prohibited (signs and rules): cấm, không + verb](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/cam-prohibit/)

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