faxen

Using faxen is as easy as using any regular verb. You conjugate it normally: ich faxe, du faxt, er/sie/es faxt. If you want to ask someone to send you something, you say: Kannst du mir das bitte faxen? In the past tense, you use gefaxt. For example: Ich habe den Vertrag bereits gefaxt. It functions exactly like 'to email' or 'to mail.' You can also use the noun das Fax if you are talking about the document itself. Just remember to have the fax number ready, which is often listed right next to the phone number on German business cards.

You will use this most often when dealing with German bureaucracy. If you are at the Bürgeramt (citizens' office) or dealing with the Finanzamt (tax office), they might ask you to faxen a signature. It is also very common in the medical field. Your Hausarzt (GP) might faxen a prescription to your local pharmacy. Lawyers and insurance companies also love it. If you are in a situation where someone says an email 'isn't secure enough' or 'needs a real signature,' that is your cue to faxen it. It is the secret weapon for getting things done in a country that values 'Schriftform' (written form).

Do not use faxen when you are talking to a tech startup in Berlin. They will likely laugh or look at you with genuine confusion. Avoid using it for casual social plans with friends. You wouldn't faxen a friend to ask if they want pizza. Also, be careful not to confuse the verb faxen with the plural noun Faxen. If you tell your boss you are 'making faxes' (Faxen machen), you are actually telling them you are 'playing the fool' or 'acting silly.' That is a very different conversation! Stick to the verb when you mean business.

Germany has a legendary reputation for its 'Fax-Kultur.' While the rest of the world moved to encrypted PDFs, the German administrative system stayed loyal to the fax machine. Why? Because under German law, a fax is often considered a 'written' document with a valid signature, whereas a standard email is not. It is also seen as more secure against hackers. This has led to a funny cultural divide. Young Germans joke about the 'Neuland' (uncharted territory) of the internet, while government offices continue to hum with the sound of dial-up tones and thermal paper.

The most important variation is the idiomatic expression Faxen machen. This has nothing to do with technology. It means to mess around, play jokes, or act like a clown. You might hear a parent tell a child: Mach keine Faxen! (Don't be silly!). Another variation is durchfaxen, which means 'to fax through.' It’s a bit more informal and implies a quick action. You might say: Ich faxe dir das mal kurz durch. It sounds a bit more dynamic, as if the document is flying through the phone lines right now.