Wat betekent “echt wel” in het Nederlands?

Echt wel is the tougher cousin of eigenlijk wel. Both affirm; eigenlijk wel is reluctant ("actually, yes"), echt wel is insistent ("really, definitely yes"). Dutch speakers use echt wel when someone has expressed doubt and they want to push back. Echt (really) supplies the emphasis; wel affirms positively.

A Dutch teen claiming they cleaned their room when their parent doesn't believe it will say echt wel. A Dutch friend insisting the restaurant was as good as advertised when the listener seems skeptical will say echt wel. The phrase has a slight kid-and-teen feel — Dutch adults use it too, but with adults the tone leans more emphatic-conversational than defensive.

The phrase also functions as a discourse marker for general intensification: het is echt wel goed (it's really actually good). Here the echt wel doesn't push against doubt so much as add emphasis to a genuine positive claim.