# Phải chăng: is it that …? (written) in Vietnamese (B2)

> Phải chăng opens a question that suggests its own answer: "Could it be that …? Is it perhaps …?" Phải chăng học sinh đang bị quá tải?

Source: https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/phai-chang/ · Updated 2026-10-17

**is it that …? (written)**

Pattern: `Phải chăng + [statement]?`

Level: B2 (our estimate) · Register: formal · Medium: written

Typed without accents: phai chang

*Phải chăng* opens a question that suggests its own answer: "Could it be that …? Is it perhaps …?" *Phải chăng học sinh đang bị quá tải?* (Could it be that pupils are overloaded?) It comes first, followed by an ordinary statement and a question mark. The writer usually thinks the answer is yes, but puts it as a question to make the reader think.

You'll meet it in newspaper headlines, opinion pieces, essays and the discussion sections of papers: *Phải chăng đã đến lúc …?* (Has the time come to …?) It's a written, slightly literary device; *chăng* is an old question word that survives in a few fixed phrases.

Compare *chẳng lẽ* (surely not, don't tell me), which expresses surprise at something you'd rather not believe: *Chẳng lẽ anh quên rồi?* That's everyday. *Phải chăng* is calmer and more reflective, and it leans towards yes.

After a noun, *phải chăng* is a different word, meaning "reasonable, fair", said of prices: *giá cả phải chăng* (reasonable prices). That one is everyday and common in ads.

In conversation, to float an idea, say *Hay là …?* (Or maybe …?): *Hay là tại trời mưa?* (Or maybe it's because of the rain?)

## Examples

- Phải chăng học sinh đang học quá nhiều môn cùng một lúc? — Could it be that pupils are studying too many subjects at once?
- Phải chăng đã đến lúc thành phố cần hạn chế xe máy ở khu trung tâm? — Has the time come for the city to restrict motorbikes in the centre?
- Phải chăng sự thiếu hụt giáo viên là nguyên nhân chính của tình trạng này? — Could the shortage of teachers be the main cause of this situation?
- Khách sạn nằm gần biển, giá cả phải chăng. — The hotel is near the beach, and the prices are reasonable.

## Compare

- [Surely not? chẳng lẽ / lẽ nào](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/chang-le-surely-not/): surely not …?
- [Isn't it obvious? bộ … hả, chẳng phải … sao](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/rhetorical-negative/): rhetorical 'isn't it'

Previous in Asking questions: [Who would …? Who wouldn't …? ai mà, ai lại không](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/ai-ma-rhetorical/)
Next in Asking questions: [How could that be! làm sao … được](https://vietnamesebuddy.com/grammar/lam-sao-duoc-rhetorical/)

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