Could it be that …? phải chăng

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?)