Many of us are living in countries with shopping restrictions due to health measures taken during the coronavirus pandemic, meaning we may need to shop for many things we need on the internet. The word bestellen, most commonly translated in this context as "to order," has thus become an especially important term this year.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Diesen Film können Sie als DVD unter folgender Adresse im Internet bestellen.

You can order this film on DVD at the following web address.

Caption 18, Bibliothek der Sachgeschichten - Müllmännerlied

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We also use bestellen when ordering food in a restaurant, although these days that usually means ordering food for takeaway: 

Die Tochter hat Pizza bestellt...

My daughter ordered pizza...

Caption 82, Weihnachtsinterviews - Cettina in Linkenheim

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Möchten Sie denn schon was zu trinken bestellen?

Would you like to order something to drink now?

Caption 10, Abendessen - mit Marko

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Although bestellen is most commonly used to mean "to order" something, there are also a number of other contexts where the verb is used that require a different translation altogether. Quite differently from the English "to order," where something will be coming to you, the German bestellen can also be used to send out greetings (Grüße bestellen) or to ask someone to say thank-you for you: 

Bestellt dem Marquis meinen herzlichsten Dank!

Send the Marquis my most heartfelt thanks!

Caption 41, Märchen - Sagenhaft - Der gestiefelte Kater

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Bestellen Sie dem Feldmarschall von Kluge,

Tell Field Marshall von Kluge

ich danke für das in mich gesetzte Vertrauen.

I thank him for the trust he places in me.

Captions 55-56, Die Stunde der Offiziere - Dokudrama über den 20. Juli 1944

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In the context of biology, you can use bestellen with the preposition um to describe the condition of a species: 

Um die seltene Marmorata-Forelle ist es schlechter bestellt...

Regarding the rare marble trout, it looks worse...

Caption 29, Alpenseen - Kühle Schönheiten

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Jetzt interessiert mich das aber doch, wie's um den Bestand bestellt ist.

Now, however, I'm interested indeed in how the population is doing.

Caption 5, Abenteuer Nordsee - Unter Riesenhaien und Tintenfischen

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Further Learning
Take a look at all of the meanings of bestellen on the Duden website and search for bestellt and bestellen on Yabla German to see other ways the word is used in different contexts.

The German adjectival prefix Extra- can often be translated as the English adjective "extra." If you wish to use "extra" as an adjective in German, it is not usually a freestanding word (excepting certain anglicisms such as extra dry) but is instead added to whatever noun is being modified. Let's first take a look at examples of the German adjectival prefix Extra-:

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Niemand hat einen Extrapullover für Catherine? Leute!

Nobody has an extra pullover for Catherine? People!

Caption 49, Deutschkurs in Tübingen - Die Konjunktion „dass“

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Ein Extrapaar Schuhe ist auch immer praktisch.

An extra pair of shoes is also always practical.

Caption 21, Christiane - fährt in den Urlaub

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Note that it would not be correct to write extra Pullover or extra Paar, instead the adjectival prefix Extra- is placed together with the noun: Extrapullover and Extrapaar. In some cases where extra is required to modify another adjective, it is still written in lower case, such as in extragroß ("extra large") and extrastark ("extra strong").

The German adverb extra, however, is usually a false friend, meaning it is written the same way in both languages but has a different meaning:

Die hab ich dir jetzt extra geholt, jetzt komm schon.

I got it especially for you, now come on.

Caption 58, Die Pfefferkörner - Eigentor

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Ach so, stimmt! Extra hergeflogen aus Saudi-Arabien.

Oh, that's right! Especially flown here from Saudi Arabia.

Caption 30, Fasching - mit Cettina

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As you see in the above examples, the German adverb extra is usually translated into English as "especially." However, sometimes the word "especially" is a bit too simplistic for the context, and it is better to use a more tailored translation such as "for the occasion" or "for that reason": 

Manfred Schoof hat extra 'ne einfache Melodie komponiert.

Manfred Schoof composed a simple melody for the occasion.

Caption 5, Bibliothek der Sachgeschichten - Müllmännerlied

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Und die Hölzer kommen dort meist nicht

And the wood there does not usually come

von extra angelegten Plantagen.

from plantations cultivated for that reason.

Caption 27, Umweltschutz - WWF zur Rettung des Regenwaldes

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Further Learning
Come up with a good phrase that you can use as a mnemonic device for remembering the difference between the adjectival prefix Extra- and the adverb extra. Here's such an example that works for me — as do most things chocolate:

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Ich habe einen Extrariegel Schokolade extra für dich mitgenommen.
I've taken an extra bar of chocolate along especially for you.

Look for other examples of the German adjectival prefix Extra- and adverb extra in use in a real-world context on Yabla German and learn some other ways in which the word can be used.