Hallo zusammen!
Today we are talking about das Faxgerät, a piece of technology that refuses to die in Germany!
While most of the world has moved on to emails, digital signatures, and online forms, fax machines can still be found in German offices, hospitals, and public administration.
But why?
Honestly, I don’t know… maybe you do?
⏰ 5 days to go, places are filling up!
The A1, A2, B1 & B2 group classes start on 2 November! 🇩🇪
Reply to this email or comment “GWM” now, and I’ll send you all the details so you can secure your place!
Part 1 - Read 👀
Read the Dialogue (out loud if you can)
Kai: Ich musste heute meiner Krankenkasse was schicken. Die haben mich tatsächlich gebeten, es per Fax zu schicken!
Lena: Dein Ernst?
Kai: Ja, ich hab noch nie in meinem Leben ein Fax geschickt… Ich weiß nicht mal, wo ich noch so ein Faxgerät finden ⍟ kann.
Lena: Es gibt so Fax-Apps. Fürs Handy oder einfach online.
Kai: Das ist doch absurd! Ich schicke doch kein Fax von meinem iPhone… Da kann ich doch gleich eine Mail schicken ⍟. Das Faxgerät wurde doch erfunden, damit man keine Briefe schicken muss – und jetzt soll ich ein moderneres Gerät benutzen, um ein Fax zu schicken. Schwachsinn! ⍟
Lena: Du, das brauchst du mir nicht zweimal zu sagen ⍟.
Kai: Egal, ich mach das gleich mal eben. Schon krass, wie einem das Leben manchmal erschwert wird ⍟…
Lena: Na ja, übertreib mal nicht. Es gibt Schlimmeres.
You just saw what conversational German looks like. The next parts are where passive understanding turns into real training reps: 2. listen → 3. understand → 4. write → 5. speak. That’s what makes conversational German start feeling more natural!
Part 2 - Listen 👂
Hear the Dialogue (switch to slow version if the original is too quick.)
Audio 🎧
Slow Audio ⏳
Part 3 - Understand 💡
Read the explanations & translation (Go through the explanations and translation. Take your time, this is where things click.)
A) Explanations 💬
⍟ so ein Faxgerät finden – A natural spoken construction where “so ein” signals mild exasperation at the very existence of the object in question, implying it belongs to a category of things that feel out of place in the modern world, widely usable whenever you want to convey that something feels anachronistic or absurd. (English: “find one of those fax machines”, literal: “find such a fax machine”)
⍟ gleich eine Mail schicken – A spoken construction used to point out that a simpler, more logical alternative is right there and available, “gleich” here meaning “just as well” or “I might as well,” common whenever someone wants to highlight an obvious solution that makes the complicated option look unnecessary. (English: “just send an email” or “I might as well send an email”, literal: “just send a mail”)
⍟ Schwachsinn! – A blunt, punchy spoken exclamation used to dismiss something as complete nonsense or an idiotic state of affairs, stronger than “Unsinn” and carrying genuine indignation, common in informal conversation whenever a rule, request, or situation seems frankly absurd. (English: “nonsense!” or “that’s ridiculous!” or “what a joke!”, literal: “weak sense”)
⍟ das brauchst du mir nicht zweimal zu sagen – A spoken phrase used to signal enthusiastic agreement, telling the other person they don’t need to convince you because you already fully share their view, common whenever someone says something that resonates so strongly that a longer response would be superfluous. (English: “you don’t need to tell me twice” or “you’re preaching to the choir”, literal: “you don’t need to say that to me twice”)
⍟ wie einem das Leben manchmal erschwert wird – A wry spoken construction used to dramatise a minor inconvenience as a broader comment on the absurdity of life, the passive “erschwert wird” making the complaint feel both exasperated and faintly comic. (English: “how life is sometimes made unnecessarily difficult for you” or “how they make life hard sometimes”, literal: “how life is sometimes made harder for one”)
B) Translation 🔄
Kai: I had to send something to my health insurance today. They actually asked me to send it by fax!
Lena: You’re joking.
Kai: No, I’ve never sent a fax in my life… I don’t even know where you’d still find one of those fax machines.
Lena: There are fax apps. For your phone or just online.
Kai: That’s absurd! I’m not sending a fax from my iPhone… I might as well just send an email. The fax machine was invented so people wouldn’t have to send letters – and now I’m supposed to use a more modern device to send a fax. What a joke!
Lena: You don’t need to tell me twice.
Kai: Whatever, I’ll just get it done in a minute. It’s pretty wild how life is sometimes made unnecessarily difficult for you…
Lena: Come on, don’t exaggerate. There are worse things.
Part 4 - Write ✍️
Writing Practice (this step is easy to skip, but it’s where real progress happens)
Answer ONE of these:
Warum werden Faxgeräte in Deutschland immer noch benutzt?
Welche Erfahrungen hast du mit veralteter Technik gemacht?
Warum fällt es manchen Behörden und Unternehmen schwer, moderner zu werden?
👉 Reply to this email or comment below.
Part 5 - Speak 🗣️
Spoken Conversation Practice (This is the part that gets you speaking more naturally, faster.)
Have a short 3–5 minute conversation with your favorite AI (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, etc.).
Follow today’s topic
Or choose your own
Ask the AI for corrections and feedback afterwards
AI isn't a substitute for real conversations with people, but it's a great way to practise when no conversation partner is available.
Hast du schon mal ein Fax verschickt oder kennst du das Faxgerät nur aus dem Museum? 📠
Tell me in the comments, and leave a like if you enjoyed today’s training!
And send this dialogue to someone who’s still waiting for Germany to discover the internet…
If you’d like to join my A1, A2, B1 or B2 group classes starting 2 November, comment “GWM” or reply to this email and I’ll send you the details. 🇩🇪
LG
Marwan
