Bestellen Present Tense Conjugation in German
The present tense of bestellen — “to order” — is the form you need for habits, facts and what is happening now. This page gives you the complete present tense table for bestellen, how it is formed, when to use it, the mistakes learners make with it, and a quiz to check yourself. The first example shows it in action: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “I order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Pronunciation is not listed on this page: the verified tables do not include IPA for bestellen, so no pronunciation is given rather than an invented one.
Present Tense conjugation of bestellen
Every form in the table below comes from VerbFlow’s verified conjugation tables for bestellen. bestellen is irregular in the present, so learn the forms in the table as a set rather than guessing from the infinitive.
Present (Präsens) — bestellen
| Person | Form |
|---|---|
| ich | bestelle |
| du | bestellst |
| er/sie/es | bestellt |
| wir | bestellen |
| ihr | bestellt |
| sie/Sie | bestellen |
The present participle of bestellen is bestellend and the past participle is bestellt. You need the participle for the perfect tenses, and the present participle for adjectival use.
How the present tense of bestellen is formed
The present tense of bestellen does not follow the regular pattern, so the stem-and-endings description is only a starting point: ich → bestelle, du → bestellst, er/sie/es → bestellt, wir → bestellen, ihr → bestellt, sie/Sie → bestellen. Learn these six forms as a set — they are the forms you will use most often, and the subjunctive and imperative are built on them.
When to use the present tense of bestellen
1. Habits and routines
Use the present tense for habits and routines. For example, with bestellen: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “I order a pizza in the restaurant.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
2. General truths and facts
Use the present tense for general truths and facts. For example, with bestellen: “Du bestellst eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “You order a pizza in the restaurant.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
3. What is happening right now
Use the present tense for what is happening right now. For example, with bestellen: “Er bestellt eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “He orders a pizza in the restaurant.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
4. Scheduled plans and the near future
Use the present tense for scheduled plans and the near future. For example, with bestellen: “Wir bestellen eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “We order a pizza in the restaurant.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
5. Narration and instructions
Use the present tense for narration and instructions. For example, with bestellen: “Sie bestellen eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “They order a pizza in the restaurant.” Notice how the time expression and the context, not just the verb form, tell you which rule applies.
Present vs future: bestellen now, bestellen later
The present and the future both talk about things that have not happened yet in one sense, but they are not interchangeable. The present is for what is true now or already fixed; the future is for what will happen and is not yet certain. Compare the pairs below — the present form comes from this page, the future form from the full conjugation table.
Present: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “I order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Future: “Ich werde eine Pizza im Restaurant bestellen.” — “I will order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Present: “Du bestellst eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “You order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Future: “Du wirst eine Pizza im Restaurant bestellen.” — “You will order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Present: “Wir bestellen eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “We order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Future: “Wir werden eine Pizza im Restaurant bestellen.” — “We will order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Example sentences: bestellen in the present tense
Six sentences using only the present tense of bestellen, with English translations. Read them aloud — saying the forms is the fastest way to fix them in memory.
- “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “I order a pizza in the restaurant.”
- “Du bestellst eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “You order a pizza in the restaurant.”
- “Er bestellt eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “He orders a pizza in the restaurant.”
- “Wir bestellen eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “We order a pizza in the restaurant.”
- “Ihr bestellt eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “You order a pizza in the restaurant.”
- “Sie bestellen eine Pizza im Restaurant.” — “They order a pizza in the restaurant.”
Common mistakes with bestellen in the present tense
1. Guessing the present from the infinitive
✗ Wrong: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.” (a guessed regular form)
✓ Right: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.”
bestellen is irregular in the present: the ich form is bestelle, not what the regular endings would give.
2. Mixing up the persons
✗ Wrong: “Du bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.”
✓ Right: “Du bestellst eine Pizza im Restaurant.”
After du you need bestellst, not the ich form bestelle. Each person has its own ending.
3. Using the future for a habit
✗ Wrong: “Ich werde eine Pizza im Restaurant bestellen.”
✓ Right: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.”
A habit that happens every day takes the present (bestelle), not the future.
4. Using the Präteritum for something happening now
✗ Wrong: “Ich bestellte eine Pizza im Restaurant.”
✓ Right: “Ich bestelle eine Pizza im Restaurant.”
Something happening right now takes the present (bestelle), not the Präteritum.
Quiz: bestellen in the present tense
What is the ich form of bestellen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) bestellen
- B) bestellt
- C) bestellst
- D) bestelle
What is the du form of bestellen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) bestellen
- B) bestellt
- C) bestelle
- D) bestellst
What is the er/sie/es form of bestellen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) bestellen
- B) bestellst
- C) bestellt
- D) bestelle
What is the wir form of bestellen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) bestellt
- B) bestellen
- C) bestelle
- D) bestellst
What is the ihr form of bestellen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) bestellen
- B) bestellt
- C) bestellst
- D) bestelle
What is the sie/Sie form of bestellen in the Present (Präsens)?
- A) bestellt
- B) bestelle
- C) bestellen
- D) bestellst
What is the past participle of bestellen?
- A) bestellend
- B) bestellte
- C) bestelle
- D) bestellt
Which auxiliary does bestellen take in the Perfekt?
- A) sein
- B) werden
- C) haben
Answer key
- D) bestelle — the ich form of bestellen in the present tense is bestelle.
- D) bestellst — the du form of bestellen in the present tense is bestellst.
- C) bestellt — the er/sie/es form of bestellen in the present tense is bestellt.
- B) bestellen — the wir form of bestellen in the present tense is bestellen.
- B) bestellt — the ihr form of bestellen in the present tense is bestellt.
- C) bestellen — the sie/Sie form of bestellen in the present tense is bestellen.
- D) bestellt — the past participle of bestellen is bestellt; the Perfekt uses haben + bestellt.
- C) haben — bestellen takes haben in the Perfekt: habe bestellt.
Frequently asked questions
How is the present tense of bestellen formed?
From the stem plus the present endings: ich → bestelle, du → bestellst, er/sie/es → bestellt, wir → bestellen, ihr → bestellt, sie/Sie → bestellen. The German present tense guide explains the pattern for all verbs.
Is bestellen regular in the present tense?
No — bestellen is irregular in the present tense, so learn the table above as a set. The other tenses are listed on the full conjugation page.
What is the past participle of bestellen?
The past participle is bestellt. Use it with haben for the Perfekt, as in habe bestellt, and with haben in the past for the Plusquamperfekt, as in hatte bestellt.
Related pages
- bestellen conjugation — the full conjugation tables for this verb in every tense.
- bestellen examples and quiz — more example sentences and practice questions for this verb.
- German verbs — the full hub of German conjugation pages.
- German irregular verbs — every common irregular German verb, grouped by pattern.
- Einladen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Treffen conjugation — another German verb to practise with.
- Spanish verbs — the full hub of Spanish conjugation pages.
- French verbs — the full hub of French conjugation pages.
- Verb Conjugator — practise bestellen with the interactive tool.
- Verb Quiz — practise bestellen with the interactive tool.
- Present Tense Conjugator — practise the present tense with the interactive tool.
- VerbFlow home — back to the start.