German word

echt

Pronunciation

IPA/ɛçt/

Meaning

  • adverbreally

Example

Ich finde das echt gut.

I think that's really good.

Illustration for echt (really)

More examples

Der Käse war echt teuer.

The cheese was really expensive.

Core concept

A genuine seal that, in casual speech, also boosts the force of the following idea.

Common phrases

  • echt super

    really great

  • echt peinlich

    really embarrassing

  • echt teuer

    really expensive

Similar words

wirklich: Used to strongly affirm that something is true or genuinely felt.
tatsächlich: Used to stress that something is in fact true or has actually happened.
total: Used informally to intensify an adjective or statement to mean very.

Definition in German

Als umgangssprachliches Adverb dient 'echt' oft als Intensivierer und entspricht in vielen Fällen 'wirklich' oder 'sehr'.

Word origin

Echt is an inherited Germanic adjective meaning genuine or real, later used adverbially as an intensifier.

Usage tips

  • As an adverb, echt is strongly colloquial, while wirklich is more neutral in formal writing.

Other meanings

  • realadjective
  • veryadverb

Related words

  • unechtfakeadjective

Word lists with this word