das  Telefax

B2

Estimated CEFR level.

/ˈteːləˌfaks/

📠 What exactly is a Telefax?

Das Telefax (noun, neuter) refers to both the device used for sending and receiving documents via telephone lines and the transmitted document itself.

• Meaning 1: The fax machine. Example: "Das Telefax im Büro ist kaputt." (The fax machine in the office is broken.)
• Meaning 2: The sent or received message/copy. Example: "Ich habe dein Telefax erhalten." (I have received your fax.)

It's a combination of 'Tele-' (far, distant) and 'Fax' (short for facsimile, meaning 'make similar').

🧐 Grammar of 'das Telefax'

The word "Telefax" is a neuter noun. Here are the declension tables:

🕰️ When to use Telefax?

The term "Telefax" or its short form "Fax" is mainly used in business or official contexts, although its use has significantly declined due to email. For a long time, it was considered a way to transmit documents with signatures quickly and semi-officially.

• Typical Usage: Sending contracts, confirmations, official letters.
• Context: Office communication, administration, sometimes still in the legal field or with older institutions.
• Alternative: Often replaced today by email with scanned attachments.
• Verb: The corresponding verb is "faxen". Example: "Ich faxe dir die Unterlagen." (I'll fax you the documents.)

⚠️ Although technologically outdated, it is still required or common in some industries or for specific procedures.

💡 How to remember 'das Telefax'

Article Aid: Think of "das Gerät" (the device) or "das Dokument" (the document). Many technical devices in German are neuter ('das'). Also, the origin word Faksimile is neuter: Das Faksimile -> Das Fax -> Das Telefax.

Meaning Aid: TELE means 'far' (like telephone) and FAX comes from facsimile ('make similar', i.e., a copy). So, a Telefax is a 'far-copy' or 'remote copy'.

🔄 Similar and Alternative Terms

Potential Confusion: Sometimes 'Fax' is colloquially used for the verb 'faxen' (e.g., "Schick mir ein Fax" meaning "Fax it to me").

😄 A little Joke

Warum hat das Telefax Schluss gemacht mit dem Drucker?
Weil es sich ständig nur Kopien von ihm gewünscht hat! 😉

(Why did the fax machine break up with the printer?
Because it only ever wanted copies of it!)

📜 Poem about the Telefax

Ein Piepen, ein Rattern, ein leises Surren,
Das Telefax beginnt zu schnurren.
Papier kommt raus, bedruckt und klar,
Ein Dokument von fern, wunderbar.
Ob Vertrag, ob Gruß, ob schnelle Notiz,
Per Leitung kommt’s, ein technischer Blitz.
Heut‘ seltener zwar, doch einst der Hit,
Das treue Fax, es machte viel mit.

(A beep, a rattle, a soft whirring sound,
The Telefax starts purring all around.
Paper comes out, printed and clear,
A document from afar, held so dear.
Be it contract, greeting, or a quick note,
Via line it arrives, a technical boat.
Rarer today, but once quite the hit,
The loyal fax went through quite a bit.)

❓ Little Riddle

Ich schicke Kopien durch die Telefonleitung,
brachte einst im Büro viel Beschleunigung.
Mein Name klingt technisch, 'fern' ist ein Teil,
heute nutz mich nur noch selten wer, zum Heil.

Was bin ich?
Lösung: Das Telefax

(I send copies through the telephone line,
Once brought much speed to the office design.
My name sounds technical, 'far' is a part,
Today I'm used rarely, right from the start.

What am I?
Solution: The Telefax)

🌐 Other Info about Das Telefax

Word Composition: The word "Telefax" is a compound of:

• tele- (prefix from Greek): means "far" or "distant".
• Fax: Short form of "Faksimile" (from Latin "fac simile" = "make similar").

Historical Context: The Telefax had its heyday in the 1980s and 1990s before being largely replaced by email. It revolutionized the rapid transmission of documents back then.