nehmen vs bestellen
German word comparison
Listen to nehmen
Listen to bestellen
| nehmen | bestellen |
|---|---|
NAY-men verb | bəˈʃtɛlən verb |
| to take; to accept; to have (when ordering) | to order (food, goods, or services) |
How they differ
Bestellen specifically means to place an order for something (e.g., at a restaurant or online), whereas nehmen can be used by a customer to indicate their choice ('I'll have...') but is less explicit about the act of ordering; bestellen focuses on the transactional act of ordering.
When to use each
When to use nehmen: Prefer nehmen in casual spoken situations where you indicate what you want (e.g., 'Ich nehme einen Kaffee' at a café).
When to use bestellen: Use bestellen when you mean the act of ordering (placing the order) or when describing ordering as an action, especially in neutral or formal contexts.
Side-by-side examples
- Ich nehme einen Kaffee.
(I'll have a coffee.) - Ich bestelle einen Kaffee.
(I order/place an order for a coffee.)
Register & nuance: Bestellen is neutral and appropriate in both spoken and written German for transactional contexts; nehmen is more colloquial when used by customers to state their choice.
- See the full Word of the Day entry for nehmen
- See the Word of the Day entry for bestellen
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