Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ không?

Because chúng ta means we, including the person you are speaking to.

• chúng ta = we (inclusive: you and I / all of us including you)
• chúng tôi = we (exclusive: my group and I, but not you)

So in Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ không?, the speaker is asking the listener about changing the time together, so chúng ta is the natural choice.

Có thể means can, may, or be able to.

In this sentence, it expresses possibility or permission:

• có thể đổi giờ = can change the time
• Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ không? = Can we change the time?

It is a very common way to express can in Vietnamese.

Here, không is used to make a yes/no question.

A very common Vietnamese pattern is:

statement + không?

So:

• Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ. = We can change the time.
• Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ không? = Can we change the time?

This final không is not exactly the same as the English word not. In this position, it functions as a question marker.

Literally, đổi giờ is something like change the time.

• đổi = change, switch, exchange
• giờ = hour, time

In context, đổi giờ is natural and commonly understood as changing the scheduled time of something, like a meeting, appointment, or call.

Depending on context, Vietnamese speakers might also say:

• đổi thời gian = change the time
• dời giờ = move the time
• đổi lịch = change the schedule
• dời lịch = reschedule

But đổi giờ không? is perfectly normal in everyday speech.

It can mean either, depending on context.

• In some cases, giờ means hour.
• In this sentence, it means time in the sense of the scheduled time.

So here, đổi giờ does not mean changing one specific clock hour in a mathematical sense. It means changing when something happens.

Vietnamese word order here is actually quite straightforward once you get used to it:

Chúng ta + có thể + đổi giờ + không?
we + can + change the time + question marker

So the structure is:

Subject + modal + verb/object + question particle

English uses inversion:

Can we change the time?

Vietnamese usually does not invert the subject and modal. Instead, it often keeps normal statement order and adds không at the end.

Yes, but the meaning or tone changes a little.

For example:

• Chúng ta đổi giờ không? = Shall we change the time? / Change the time?
• Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ không? = Can we change the time?

With có thể, the sentence sounds more clearly about possibility/permission. Without it, it can sound a bit more direct or conversational.

Another very common version is:

• Chúng ta đổi giờ được không?

This also means Can we change the time? and is extremely natural in spoken Vietnamese.

Both can often be translated as Can ...?, but there is a small nuance.

• có thể focuses more on possibility or permission
• được không often sounds more like would it be okay or is that possible/acceptable

So:

• Chúng ta có thể đổi giờ không?
• Chúng ta đổi giờ được không?

Both are natural. In everyday speech, many learners will hear được không very often.

It is neutral and polite enough for many everyday situations.

It is not extremely formal, but it is not rude either. You could use it with:

• coworkers
• classmates
• friends
• someone you are making plans with

If you want to sound a bit more formal or careful, you might say:

• Chúng ta có thể đổi sang giờ khác không? = Can we change to a different time?
• Mình có thể đổi lịch được không? = Can I/we reschedule? (depends on context)
• Ta có thể thay đổi thời gian được không? = more formal/written-sounding

Some common answers are:

• Được. = Yes / Okay.
• Được chứ. = Sure.
• Có thể. = Yes, we can.
• Ừ, đổi được. = Yeah, we can change it.
• Không được. = No, we can’t / That won’t work.
• Không thể. = Cannot / It’s not possible.
• Xin lỗi, giờ đó không đổi được. = Sorry, that time can’t be changed.

Vietnamese often does not answer yes/no questions with a plain word exactly matching English yes or no. Instead, speakers often repeat the verb or use expressions like được or không được.

A rough pronunciation guide is:

• Chúng ta ≈ choong ta
• có thể ≈ kaw thay
• đổi giờ ≈ doy zyuh or doy yuh depending on accent
• không ≈ khong

A few important notes:

• Vietnamese is a tonal language, so the tones matter a lot.
• gi in southern speech may sound more like y, while in northern speech it may sound more like z.
• English-style approximations are only rough guides; listening to native audio is very important.

The tones in this sentence are:

• Chúng: rising-glottal type tone
• ta: level
• có: rising
• thể: dipping/creaky tone
• đổi: broken/rising tone
• giờ: falling tone
• không: level

If you want to sound natural, focus especially on the tones in có, thể, đổi, and giờ.

Sometimes yes, if the context is clear.

For example, people might say:

• Có thể đổi giờ không?
• Đổi giờ được không?

These are very natural if everyone already knows who is involved.

However, including chúng ta makes it explicit that the speaker means we, including you. That can be helpful, especially for learners.