das / der  Fax

A2

Estimated CEFR level.

/faks/

📠 What does "Fax" mean?

The word Fax is a German abbreviation for Telefax or Faksimile (facsimile). It refers to both the device (Faxgerät - fax machine) used to transmit documents over telephone lines and the transmitted document itself.

Article Usage:

• Das Fax (Neuter): This is the standard and by far the most common form. It's used for both the machine and the document.
  • Example (device): Das Fax steht im Büro neben dem Drucker. (The fax machine is in the office next to the printer.)
  • Example (document): Ich habe Ihr Fax erhalten. (I have received your fax.)
• Der Fax (Masculine): This form is very rare and considered colloquial or regional. Some might use it to refer to the sending/receiving process or also the device. ⚠️ It's advisable to always use 'das Fax' in formal contexts.

📝 Grammar in Detail: Das Fax / Der Fax

The noun "Fax" is a loanword from English. The standard article is das (neuter). The rarer masculine form der also exists but is usually avoided.

Declension: das Fax (Neuter - Standard)

Declension: der Fax (Masculine - Rare)

Example Sentences

• Das Fax (Gerät) ist kaputt.
  (The fax machine is broken.)
• Schick mir bitte das Fax mit dem Vertrag.
  (Please send me the fax with the contract.)
• Wir haben heute viele Faxe empfangen.
  (We received many faxes today.)
• Er schickte den Fax [rare, colloquial] gestern Abend los. (Standard would be: Er schickte das Fax gestern Abend los.)
  (He sent the fax yesterday evening.)

💬 How to Use "Fax"?

Although email and other digital communication methods have largely replaced faxing, it is still used in certain areas, e.g., in doctors' offices (Arztpraxen), law firms (Anwaltskanzleien), or government agencies (Behörden) for transmitting legally binding documents.

• Standard Usage (das Fax): Clearly refers to the device or the document. Absolutely common in office life and official communication.
• Rare Usage (der Fax): Sometimes heard colloquially, often from older speakers or in specific regions. Might be perceived as slightly outdated or technically imprecise. Avoidance is recommended in writing and formal speech.

Distinction from other terms:

• E-Mail: Electronic mail, digital, faster, more versatile.
• Brief: Physical document, postal delivery, slower.
• Scanner: Device for digitizing documents, often integrated into multifunction devices that also have a fax function.

🧠 Mnemonics for "Fax"

For the article (das): Think of das Gerät (the device) or das Dokument (the document). Both are neuter concepts. Also, 'Fax' is short, like das Kind (the child) – short, technical loanwords often become neuter in German. Remember: Das is the standard fact for Fax.

For the meaning: Imagine a document traveling FAst across (X) the phone lines – that's a Fax!

🔄 Synonyms and Antonyms

For "das Fax" (document/device):

• Synonyms: Telefax, Fernkopie (telecopy), Faxgerät (fax machine), Faxsendung (fax transmission/document)
• Antonyms (in terms of communication methods): E-Mail, Brief (letter), Anruf (phone call), SMS, Messenger-Nachricht (messenger message)

Similar but misleading words:

• Fix: Means fixed, quick, or a solution (e.g., eine fixe Idee - a fixed idea). Nothing to do with Fax.
• Fox: The English word for Fuchs.

😄 A Little Joke

Warum hat das Faxgerät Schluss gemacht?
Es gab zu viele Kommunikationsprobleme! 📠💔

(Why did the fax machine break up?
There were too many communication problems!)

📜 A Little Poem

Ein Piepsen, ein Surren, ein leises Brummen,
Das Fax erwacht, lässt Daten summen.
Papier kommt raus, ganz schwarz auf weiß,
Ein Gruß von fern, auf stille Reis'.
Ob Vertrag, ob Bild, ob kurzer Text,
Das Fax hat's gebracht, ganz unverhext.
Auch wenn die E-Mail schneller fliegt,
Manchmal ist's das Fax, das siegt.

(A beep, a whir, a quiet hum,
The fax awakens, lets data thrum.
Paper emerges, quite black on white,
A greeting from afar, on silent flight.
Be it contract, image, or short text,
The fax brought it, quite un-hexed.
Even if email flies faster past,
Sometimes it's the fax that lasts.)

❓ Riddle Time

Ich schicke Papier durchs Telefonnetz,
Bin schneller als ein Brief, das ist kein Geschwätz.
Mal bin ich Maschine, mal das Blatt so schlicht,
Mein häufigster Artikel, der ist sächlich, sprich: "das" Gewicht.

Was bin ich?

(I send paper through the telephone network,
I'm faster than a letter, that's no quirk.
Sometimes I'm a machine, sometimes the sheet so plain,
My most common article is neuter, bearing "das" weight again.

What am I?) (Answer: Das Fax)

💡 More on Fax

Word Origin: The word "Fax" is a short form of the English word "facsimile" (from Latin: fac simile = "make similar"). It entered German via the term "Telefax" (Fernkopie - telecopy).

Technology: Fax technology was a significant step in office communication before the widespread adoption of the internet and email. It allowed for the rapid transmission of copies of important documents.

Combo Devices: Today, fax functionality is often integrated into multifunction printers (Multifunktionsdrucker) that can also print, scan, and copy.