# Chẳng lẽ / lẽ nào: surely not …? in Vietnamese (B1)

> Chẳng lẽ at the start of a question says you can hardly believe something, or don't want to: "surely not …?", "don't tell me …": Chẳng lẽ anh quên rồi?

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chang-le-surely-not/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**surely not …?**

Pattern: `Chẳng lẽ / Lẽ nào + [person] + (lại) + [verb]?`

Level: B1 (our estimate) · Register: everyday

Typed without accents: chang le, le nao

*Chẳng lẽ* at the start of a question says you can hardly believe something, or don't want to: "surely not …?", "don't tell me …": *Chẳng lẽ anh quên rồi?* Don't tell me you've forgotten? The rest is a plain statement; *chẳng lẽ* turns it into a doubtful question.

It also questions a conclusion you don't like: *Chẳng lẽ em phải làm hết một mình?* Surely I don't have to do it all on my own? *Lại* before the verb often adds "of all things": *Chẳng lẽ chị ấy lại nói dối?* Surely she wouldn't lie? Some speakers end with *sao* or *hả* as well.

*Lẽ nào* means the same and sounds a little more serious; you'll meet it in films, songs and stories. *Chẳng lẽ* is the everyday one. In Hà Nội you may also hear *chẳng nhẽ*.

The other person usually reassures you, or confirms the bad news: *Đâu có, anh nhớ mà.* Of course not, I remember. *Phải chăng*, the written cousin in headlines and essays, asks "could it be that …?" without the disbelief.

## Examples

- Chẳng lẽ anh quên rồi? — Don't tell me you've forgotten?
- Đâu có, anh nhớ mà. — Of course not, I remember.
- Chẳng lẽ em phải làm hết một mình? — Surely I don't have to do it all on my own?
- Chẳng lẽ chị ấy lại nói dối? — Surely she wouldn't lie?
- Lẽ nào anh không biết chuyện này? — Could you really not know about this?

## Compare

- [Could it be that …? phải chăng](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/phai-chang/): is it that …? (written)
- [Isn't it obvious? bộ … hả, chẳng phải … sao](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/rhetorical-negative/): rhetorical 'isn't it'
- [I wonder whether: liệu … (có) … không?](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lieu-wonder/): I wonder whether; will it really

Previous in Asking questions: [Reported questions keep their word order: hỏi / không biết + the question as asked](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/embedded-question-order/)
Next in Asking questions: [What's the point?: … (mà) làm gì](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-gi-whats-the-point/)

---

Add to Vietnamese Buddy: https://app.vietnamesebuddy.com/waitlist?source=grammar%3Au_chang_le_surely_not
In the app, the grammar points from your own class material are kept with their status, and any word you meet while reading can go into your lexicon with its audio, ready to study.