How to Understand Grammar in Various Languages
Learn basic grammar terms., Be aware of your own language's grammar., Learn one pattern at a time.This is how the above mentioned 8-year old (and you, for that matter) learned grammar: our brains are very, very good at recognizing patterns and using...
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Learn basic grammar terms.
If you don't know what a noun, a verb, an adjective or an article is, even very basic grammar instructions will just be confusing. -
Step 2: Be aware of your own language's grammar.
Which tenses are there and which are actually used most? How many cases does your language have and what are they used for? Both "you run" and "you are running" indicate an action taking place in the present, but what is the difference? Become aware of the fact that meaning is carried not only in the vocabulary but also in the grammar, and that there are forms of grammar which turn up rarely and others which are used all the time. , For example, someone who just learned the pattern for an action just taking place, should build as many variations of that as possible, using as much of the vocabulary already learned as possible. , One of the beauties of the Internet is: language learning material without end.
Clips of your favorite movie or TV show dubbed in French, German, Italian or possibly Korean, audiobooks in various languages, Wikipedia and LifeGuide Hub articles on your favorite subject of interest in various languages and so on.
In the above example, a good first step is to read a text in the language you are learning and mark all the examples you find.
Write them down and sort them (by gender, meaning or whatever makes sense to you).
Read aloud.
Write and speak simple examples.
Listen to a text and try to hear examples of the pattern you are just learning.
Keep in mind that some video or audio players allow for slower replay; in that case, an audio played at 90% or even 80% of its original speed sounds slightly odd, but not too bad, and is easier to understand. , Do you want to just academically understand the language or speak the language? In the first case, working your way through a primer and using some examples to anchor the grammatical structures in your mind might be the best strategy.
If you want to speak, 50 percent of the grammar most used in the target language learned well will be far more useful than the entire grammar sitting in your brain as theoretical knowledge.
And that means learning lots and lots of slightly different examples. -
Step 3: Learn one pattern at a time.This is how the above mentioned 8-year old (and you
-
Step 4: for that matter) learned grammar: our brains are very
-
Step 5: very good at recognizing patterns and using them.
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Step 6: Vary your learning material and your practice strategy.
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Step 7: Keep your goal in mind.
Detailed Guide
If you don't know what a noun, a verb, an adjective or an article is, even very basic grammar instructions will just be confusing.
Which tenses are there and which are actually used most? How many cases does your language have and what are they used for? Both "you run" and "you are running" indicate an action taking place in the present, but what is the difference? Become aware of the fact that meaning is carried not only in the vocabulary but also in the grammar, and that there are forms of grammar which turn up rarely and others which are used all the time. , For example, someone who just learned the pattern for an action just taking place, should build as many variations of that as possible, using as much of the vocabulary already learned as possible. , One of the beauties of the Internet is: language learning material without end.
Clips of your favorite movie or TV show dubbed in French, German, Italian or possibly Korean, audiobooks in various languages, Wikipedia and LifeGuide Hub articles on your favorite subject of interest in various languages and so on.
In the above example, a good first step is to read a text in the language you are learning and mark all the examples you find.
Write them down and sort them (by gender, meaning or whatever makes sense to you).
Read aloud.
Write and speak simple examples.
Listen to a text and try to hear examples of the pattern you are just learning.
Keep in mind that some video or audio players allow for slower replay; in that case, an audio played at 90% or even 80% of its original speed sounds slightly odd, but not too bad, and is easier to understand. , Do you want to just academically understand the language or speak the language? In the first case, working your way through a primer and using some examples to anchor the grammatical structures in your mind might be the best strategy.
If you want to speak, 50 percent of the grammar most used in the target language learned well will be far more useful than the entire grammar sitting in your brain as theoretical knowledge.
And that means learning lots and lots of slightly different examples.
About the Author
Andrew Torres
Creates helpful guides on crafts to inspire and educate readers.
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