The words speziell and besonders can be used as adjectives or adverbs, and are often translated as "particular," "particularly," "special," "specially," or "especially." 

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When speziell is used as an adjective, it reflects a uniqueness or particularity. As an adverb, it conveys a sense of specificity or purpose, and may be used when referring to something designed for a particular function or context.

Und Klingonisch ist dafür schon sehr, sehr speziell.

And Klingon is therefore indeed very, very, special.

Caption 24, Klingonisch-Kurs: Außerirdisch sprechen lernen

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Mehr als eintausend Tanks mit radioaktivem Wasser sollen mit einer speziellen Filteranlage entleert werden.

More than a thousand tanks of radioactive water are to be emptied using a special filtration system.

Captions 36-37, Langsam gesprochene Nachrichten Die Inflation verlangsamt sich

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Ihre Gehirne haben speziell entwickelte Bereiche, in denen sie lernen, Probleme zu lösen und zu kommunizieren.

Their brains have specially developed areas in which they learn to solve problems and to communicate.

Captions 64-65, Die Top Ten: Die 12 freundlichsten Meerestiere der Welt

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The word besonders refers to something that stands out or is remarkable compared to the norm. It is often used to emphasize a quality or characteristic.

Was ist so besonders an der Stadt?

What's so special about the city?

Caption 46, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Hessen

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Der Mensch pflegt mit dem kalifornischen Seelöwen eine ganz besondere Beziehung.

Humankind maintains a very special relationship with the Californian sea lion.

Caption 74, Evolution: Die Küsten

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Heute hab ich ein ganz besonders leckeres Gericht für euch rausgesucht.

Today, I have picked out a particularly delicious dish for you.

Caption 4, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Nordrhein-Westfalen

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Further Learning
You'll find many more examples of these words on Yabla German, and you can practice creating your own sentences that use them as an adjective or an adverb. 

In German, allein and alleine both mean "alone." Essentially, they are variants of the same word. While the two terms are interchangeable in many contexts, allein should be used in more formal or literary contexts, whereas alleine is more for everyday speech. Both words describe the state of being alone in a physical or emotional sense.

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Here, the first example is from the lyrics of a song, whereas the second example is from a dialogue between friends: 

Im Regen stehen wir niemals allein.

In the rain we never stand alone.

Caption 7, Andreas Bourani: Auf uns

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Sam, du kannst nicht alleine einkaufen gehen!

Sam, you can't go shopping alone!

Caption 3, Extr@: Teil 02

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A common use of allein/alleine implies that something is insufficient. And the phrase von alleine or von sich alleine implies an independent occurrence, something happening naturally or on its own. 

Das ist auch schön, aber das alleine hilft noch nicht.

That is also nice, but that alone still does not help.

Caption 44, Angela Merkel: beim Nachhaltigkeitsrat

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Aber alles andere ist von ganz alleine gekommen.

But everything else came naturally.

Caption 24, Deutsch mit Eylin: Tischsitten

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It's important to note that allein/alleine does not necessarily mean that someone is lonely. The word for lonely or solitary is einsam.

Einsamkeit: Keiner spricht mit Franziska, sie fühlt sich einsam.

Loneliness: Nobody talks to Franziska; she feels lonely.

Captions 39-41, Deutsch mit Eylin: Emotionen

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Und ich will für dich da sein wenn du einsam bist.

And I want to be there for you when you are lonely.

Captions 14-15, LOTTE: Dann soll das Liebe sein

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Der Auerhahn legt auf einsame, unterholzreiche Wälder wert.

The wood grouse places value on solitary forests rich with undergrowth.

Caption 41, Die letzten Paradiese Schätze der Natur: Südtirol

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Further Learning
You'll find many more examples of these words on Yabla German. 

German has a reputation for being a difficult and rough language, but there are in fact some words and constructions that are particularly lovely and not found in any other language. Let's have a look!

First of all, there are a number of nouns that are quite charming, including compound nouns. In what other language do you have words for a sense of happiness found when hiking, or being as happy as a poodle? Or what about the word for lightbulb, which literally translates as "glowing pear?"

Ein Mitbringsel gibt es für die Familie dann aber doch.

But there is a little present then for the family, nonetheless.

Caption 13, Katherine Heigl: Sie liebt deutsches Essen

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Die Biker fühlen sich pudelwohl hier zwischen S-Bahn und Autos

The bikers feel as happy as poodles here between the S-Bahn and cars,

Caption 48, Pumptrack: Rad fahren, ohne zu treten

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Zum Gipfelglück führt nur ein schmaler Grat durchs ewige Eis.

Enjoyment of the summit is only reachable by a narrow ridge, through eternal ice.

Caption 7, Die letzten Paradiese: Die Schönheit der Alpen 1

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...der typische Morgenmuffel namens Geli.

...a typical morning grouch by the name of Geli.

Caption 17, Galileo: So kommt man morgens leichter aus dem Bett

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Hier ist die Fassung und da ist die Birne. Kann man rein- und rausschrauben. -Ist eine Glühbirne.

Here is the socket and there is the bulb. You can screw it in and out. -It's a light bulb.

Captions 23-24, Unterwegs mit Cettina: auf dem Bruchsaler Weihnachtsmarkt - Part 2

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Then there is the ending -chen. You are probably already familiar with several words that simply have this ending, such as das Mädchen, das Hähnchen, or das Bisschen. But like the ending -lein, -chen is used to create diminutive forms, and there are many words that can be transformed with this suffix. Let's have a look.

As mentioned, these two words ending in -chen are simply standard German words:

Ein Junge und ein Mädchen, fünf Jahre und zwei Jahre.

A boy and a girl, five years old and two years old.

Caption 60, Cettina: interviewt Mütter

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Glaubst du, du wirst dort ein leckeres Hähnchen grillen?

Do you think you will grill a delicious chicken there?

Caption 38, Konjugation: Das Verb „grillen“

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In these next two examples, you can see that das Männchen can mean "the little man," in this case referring to small statues. However, it also can refer to the male of a species, in this case a male woodpecker:

Ja, richtig. Aus dem Ampelmännchen ist eine dreidimensionale Skulptur geworden.

Yes, exactly. A three dimensional sculpture has emerged from the little traffic light man.

Caption 2, 25 Jahre Wiedervereinigung: Ampelmännchen wird Einheitsmännchen

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Bei der Zimmererarbeit wechseln Männchen und Weibchen einander ab.

When it comes to carpentry work, males and females take turns.

Caption 35, Die letzten Paradiese Schätze der Natur: Südtirol

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This next example brings up a good point, which is that many diminutive forms result in the addition of an umlaut:

Aus dem „Hund“ wird dann ein „Hündchen“.

From "dog," we then get "little dog."

Caption 31, Deutsch mit Eylin: Umlaute - Part 1

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As you may have noticed, all of these words have the article das. While Mark Twain may have been quite critical of "the girl" having a neuter article rather than a feminine one, you have to admit it's quite convenient that they all follow the same pattern!

Further Learning
In addition to what you can find on Yabla German, there is a massive list of nouns that end with -chen on Wikipedia. Have a look! On Yabla, pay special attention to how the -chen ending is pronounced by native speakers, using the slow playback function if necessary. 

In a previous newsletter, we looked at the German words for various bodies of water. This week, we'll take a look at different landscapes and landforms found in Germany and around the world. Germany itself has a surprising number of these diverse landscapes, with forests, rolling hills, valleys and mountain ranges, rocky and sandy coasts, and even wetlands. 

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Yabla has many videos about the incredible ecosystems of das Gebirge, the mountain range. You may also hear die Berge ("the mountains").

Nur wenige Menschen nehmen das beschwerliche Leben im Hochgebirge auf sich.

Only a few people take on the arduous life in the high mountains.

Caption 27, Die letzten Paradiese Schätze der Natur: Südtirol 

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Im kalten Stellisee verläuft ihre Entwicklung langsamer als im Tal.

In the cold Stellisee [a lake], their development proceeds more slowly than in the valley.

Caption 4, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten

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Denn wenn das Eis der Gletscher schmilzt, fließt das Wasser von den Berghöhen durch Spalten tief ins Gebirge hinein.

Because if the ice of the glaciers melts, the water will flow from the mountain heights through fissures deep into the mountains.

Captions 35-36, Alpenseen: Kühle Schönheiten

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Fast die Hälfte der Landesfläche ist von Wald bedeckt.

Almost half of the state's area is covered by forest.

Caption 51, Bundesländer und ihre Rezepte: Rheinland-Pfalz

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People may indeed think of forested mountains when they think of Germany, but there are also landscapes that we might associate more with other countries:

Einfach durch den Sumpf reiten konnten wir natürlich nicht.

We couldn't just ride through the swamp, of course.

Caption 10, Jan von München: Als ich mich einmal selbst aus dem Sumpf befreite

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In den Hügeln der grünen Insel Irland lebte einmal ein armer Kerl namens Niall O'Leary.

In the hills of the green isle of Ireland there once lived a poor fellow named Niall O'Leary.

Caption 5, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Ein Topf voll Gold

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Es sah hinaus auf die Wiese, die etwas weiter reichte, als es sehen konnte.

It looked out onto the meadow that extended somewhat farther than it could see.

Caption 45, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Das hässliche Entlein

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Near the North Sea or Baltic Sea, you will find completely different landforms (including islands!) and ecosystems:

Natali und Florian zieht es zunächst an die Küste Cornwalls.

Natali and Florian proceed first to the coast of Cornwall.

Caption 28, Abenteuer Nordsee: Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen

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Die Hauptattraktion ist hier natürlich der Strand.

The main attraction here is, of course, the beach.

Caption 8, Berlin: Wannsee

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Of course, there are some landscapes that you simply won't find in Germany:

Sindbad kroch durch den Dschungel.

Sinbad crept through the jungle.

Caption 27, Märchen - Sagenhaft: Sindbad, der Seefahrer

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Die Wüste war heiß, die Berge waren hoch.

The desert was hot, the mountains were high.

Caption 5, Clueso Weil ich dich liebe

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Further Learning

There are many nature videos on Yabla German, and most of them include detailed descriptions of the landscape like in this series about the Alps. How would you describe the landscape of the country or region you are from? Try to talk about it with a tandem partner, or write down a few sentences.