It should be no surprise to learn that the Italian word for special is speciale. Both terms can be traced back to the Latin specialis, which in turn comes from the word species meaning ‘appearance‘. The word stays the same in its feminine form, whereas the plural is speciali.
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In addition to meaning ‘out of the ordinary’ or ‘different to what is usual’, speciale can also refer to people or things with exceptional qualities or characteristics.
Maria è una persona davvero speciale. Pensa sempre agli altri.
Maria is a truly special person. She always thinks of other people.
It may also denote something intended for a specific person, purpose, or occasion such as un autobus speciale (a special bus) or una trasmissione speciale (a special broadcast).
Some common terms in which speciale appears include:
- effetti speciali = special effects
- offerta speciale = special offer
- servizio speciale = special service (or special TV report)
- inviato speciale = special correspondent
Sometimes speciale can be used in an ironic way to suggest that someone is strange or bizarre.
Giorgio ha memorizzato ogni singola parola del libro “Il Signore degli Anelli”. Come ti ho detto, è un tipo “speciale”!
Giorgio has memorised every single word of The Lord of the Rings. As I told you, he’s a “special” guy!
If you want to say ‘in a special way‘ in Italian, you can use either in modo speciale or in special modo.
As a noun, speciale can mean a TV report or newspaper article about a current topic, event or important person.
Stasera in televisione trasmettono lo speciale su Lady Diana.
Tonight on television they are broadcasting the Lady Diana special.
Interestingly the English word special, as in a TV or news special, has entered the Italian language, but it can also refer to a short film that aims to make the public aware of the work of an actor or director.
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Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
