Do You Really Have to Study Grammar to Become Fluent in a Language? [or can you skip it?
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Grammar is a controversial topic that sparks heated debates, with people often holding completely opposite views.
Some believe studying grammar is a must if you want to reach fluency. Others avoid it entirely, arguing that it’s unnecessary and even hinders learning.
No matter what side of the fence you’re on, you want to communicate effectively when you speak, right?
Everybody agrees that this includes grammar since it’s a part of sounding natural and expressing yourself accurately in a language.
The question is:
Do you need to study grammar to reach a high level of fluency?
Or is it better if you skip it altogether?
Let’s dive in and find out!
Grammar: How do we even define it?
Let’s first talk about what grammar is.
Experts can sometimes come up with quite complex terminology to define grammar, but that’s probably not why you’re here, is it?
Let’s illustrate the role of grammar to make this simple:
If a language is a house, then grammar is its floors, walls, and ceilings. It’s the frame that contains everything in it and divides it up into different sections and rooms.
The furniture, decoration, kitchenware, clothes, and personal belongings of the house are the words of the language.
A house without belongings is just an empty frame. On the other hand, belongings without the frame of a house are merely a mess lying on the ground. Only when the framework of a house and its belongings come together does it become a home, giving it meaning.
Grammar gives meaning to words, just as words give meaning to grammar. When combined, they create a language—much like how a house and its belongings come together to form a home.
For example:
If I say: “I like to do it”, and then add the words “would have” and change “like” to liked”, it then becomes “I would have liked to do it”, which has a completely different meaning than the first sentence.
Grammar is what lets you express yourself, and understand, in a much more nuanced and precise way.
Theory vs. skill: Comparing it to Music
It’s fully possible to be fluent and even grammatically correct in a language without having studied any grammar whatsoever.
I have done blog posts about this in the past (for example in the posts: how I learned Finnish without studying grammar and also a post I wrote on Glossika’s blog) as it’s very much been the approach I have taken to all 5 languages I have learned so far.
However, even if you don’t study grammar in the traditional sense, does that mean you don’t know any grammar?
You might not be able to name the “perfect-partitive-article-particle”-rule, but you might still follow that rule instinctively.
Like an improvising jazz musician who can play complex music, knowing which notes to play over different chords, even if he don't understand the theory behind it.
His playing could be analyzed and broken down into music theory, but he plays according to his own intuition instead of knowing the theory behind it.
On the other hand, some musicians are very well-versed in music theory but can also play really well.
One thing they do have in common though:
They weren’t automatically able to play their instrument by knowing music theory.
It’s the same with grammar.
Fluency in a language, just as playing an instrument, is a skill.
Grammar rules, just as music theory, is the knowledge behind (or about) that skill.
Learning all the rules won’t make you fluent, but you can be fluent without knowing all the rules.
Grammar isn't fixed, it's always changing
Here’s an interesting quote from the 4-minute TED-Ed video Does Grammar Matter?:
“Grammar is best thought of as a set of linguistic habits that are constantly being negotiated and reinvented by the entire group of language users.”
In other words: grammar wasn’t originally rules written in a book. It’s a set of habits that people have agreed to use with each other when communicating.
Something that has been organically developed by those using it.
The key here is: grammar changes!
Even with very strict languages grammatically (such as Finnish or Hungarian) you’ll find that native speakers frequently break grammar rules in spoken language. To the point where it has become a natural part of how the language is used.
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Is it important to be grammatically correct?
When speaking, how important is it to use correct grammar?
Well, it depends on your goals.
Do you want to engage comfortably with native speakers and possibly become friends with them?
Or do you just want to be understood enough to be able to order Pasta a la Carbonara in Italian during your next trip to Rome?
These are completely different goals, and in the case of the latter, you don’t need to be grammatically correct at all. You just need to deliver enough information to get a simple message across.
However, the deeper conversations you have, the greater the need for grammar becomes.
Additionally, when you use grammar accurately, it puts less strain on the native speaker to understand what you're saying.
Sometimes it won’t be a problem; people can figure out what you’re trying to say from the context. However, many times they will first need to process what you just said to fully understand it.
Because you just said something outside of what they’re used to. Outside of their language habit (which we talked about in the previous section).
If you have amazing grammar, it makes everything easier for everyone.
So, if you want to have conversations that are smooth and comfortable, then grammar is indeed important.
Why grammar rules don't help you in conversations
Understanding how the grammar works and knowing its rules doesn’t lead to speaking a language with fluency.
When you’re in the middle of a conversation with someone, and you’re thinking of a grammar rule to conjugate something correctly, it breaks up the flow of the conversation.
Thinking about grammar rules when speaking is just too slow for that. The language needs to come immediately.
What comes to your mind (also known as “Mentalese” - which are your pure thoughts, feelings, and ideas before they are expressed in any language) needs to be converted into your target language with as little delay as possible.
This is where you’re no longer searching for words in your head (although it happens at times, even in your native language), but you’re just getting your ideas and thoughts out as they come.
This type of fluency can only happen after having gotten enough input in the language.
When you do, you’ll be repeating phrases you’ve already heard in the language, rather than translating in your head. This will make you sound much more natural and native-like.
Some people who have practiced a lot of speaking can sound quite fluent without having gotten much input. The problem is that they can’t have a conversation, because they don’t understand the other person.
Studying grammar has also been shown to be much harder for the brain than immersing in comprehensible input.
This will make you tired faster, more likely causing frustration and reducing the time you spend with your target language.
It can also make you overanalyze and try to speak mistake-free when you’re not at a stage where this is possible. This easily becomes a mental barrier that hinders you in your speaking.
When knowing grammar rules can be helpful
Even though knowing grammar rules isn’t necessary to become fluent, it can have some utility in the process of learning.
Mainly with two things:
Firstly, it can help you become more aware, which helps you notice things when getting comprehensible input.
Secondly, it can help you to self-correct before you’ve reached fluency. For example, if you’re trying to say something, and you realize “wait, that’s not how it’s conjugated” and you then say it again so that people will understand.
Even here, you don’t necessarily need to know the rule. A vague understanding of it is enough.
And you certainly don’t need to know the grammatical term for it.
I do not know all the names of the 15 cases in Finnish, but I can still use them when communicating.
All you need is to know: “This word is said like this in this context”
For writing, it’s actually more beneficial than when speaking. Since it’s not as immediate and you can take your time to think about how you word things.
However, with enough reading you’ll be writing correctly without thinking about it.
Different paths - what's your pick?
There are different types of learners out there.
I have a friend who loves to study grammar. He actually became interested in the Finnish language because of the grammar. He learned by studying the grammar first, and eventually reached a very advanced level of fluency.
There’s nothing wrong with this approach. Because it’s something he enjoys it’s not going to be tiresome for him in the same way it would be for most people.
However, knowing all the grammar rules is not the reason that he’s fluent.
Sure, it might have helped him to self-correct at times (especially at a certain stage of his process like we just talked about), and also answer grammar questions other language learners have (he’s a language teacher).
However, my friend is different from most language learners.
Most people are not interested to the point where they read thick grammar books as bedtime stories before going to sleep.
You’re probably learning a language because of a relationship, family, a love for the culture, or a job opportunity.
But your interest isn’t necessary in the language itself (although you might find it beautiful), you just want to be able to use the language and engage with the culture because of how it will enhance your life.
However, it doesn’t have to be an either-or situation.
For example, I’d say I’m about 95% intuitive as a language learner. Then there’s 5% of the time where I’m curious to get a bit of clarity about something (I’ll explain soon how I go about this).
It’s helpful to know your tendency and where you are on that scale.
If you’re like my friend, who wants to know the ins and outs of the structure of the language, then I don’t see any problem with studying grammar (although it could possibly be because of being conditioned by traditional approaches and not being comfortable with the uncertainty of an intuitive approach).
Know this though:
If you don’t enjoy studying grammar, you’re not hurting your learning in any way by skipping it. It might even be of benefit to you. Since you will be more likely to accept the language as it is like a child would—you’re not getting slowed down by getting hung up on the “whys”.
Grammar studies or not, if you want to reach a high level of spoken fluency, the majority of your time should be spent on immersion and comprehensible input.
This is the only way to develop the intuitive, automatic feel for the language that allows you to use and speak it effortlessly.
When you’ve heard words, phrases, and structures in enough different contexts and enough times, you will just know when it’s correct and when it isn’t. This type of intuition is developed over time and it’s why you’ll be grammatically correct without knowing why.
The language and its structure will naturally be programmed into your mind by hearing it said correctly enough times.
Grammar is naturally learned by learning everything in context. If you focus on learning language through complete sentences and phrases, you'll eventually develop correct grammar over time.
Grammar-phobia: an unnecessary pitfall
We have already discussed that you don’t need to study grammar to become fluent.
Knowing grammar rules doesn’t automatically translate to having any practical language skills.
However, some people avoid grammar like it would be some kind of infectious disease. It’s almost like:
“Oh no! I know a grammar rule. It’s going to ruin everything!”
That’s just silly.
You don’t have to avoid grammar like it’s some kind of minefield and go “lalalaa” covering your ears when someone explains something.
You will likely learn some of the rules along the way, even if you don’t study them.
I have never used a grammar book to learn Finnish, but I still know some of the rules of Finnish grammar. A lot of it happened naturally when I noticed certain things in the language as I was listening and reading.
An example of this is when I happened to notice that all the words ending with “s” in Finnish are conjugated “ksen” in certain contexts.
And sometimes, I even like to ask a grammar question. Not to necessarily learn the rule, but simply to become more aware.
Being aware is a key aspect of language learning, as it helps you pick up things you otherwise might not notice when listening to people talk.
My favorite way to learn grammar organically
When we run into grammar issues is mostly when we’re speaking before we have reached a highly advanced level.
We’re talking to someone, and we want to express something, but we just don’t have the tools to do so. You might know all the words, but you just don't know how to conjugate them accurately to convey your message.
This is actually my favorite way to learn grammar: through conversation.
However, when we’re talking to native speakers they are usually not there to help us with our grammar.
This is one reason I've recently been having conversations with AI (aside from its 24/7 availability). It’s an amazing way to improve grammar awareness. You’ll run into the issues of not knowing how to express something and the AI tutor can then help you formulate yourself to say it like a native would.
I might also ask the AI tutor things like: “What’s the difference between x and y in Spanish?” if I come across two words while listening to something and don’t know how they are different.
This type of conversational grammar learning is something that has also happened during my online language lessons. I’ll be having a conversation with my tutor we’ll run into something I’m trying to say (or at times something the tutor says) but that I don’t know how to express. We’ll then zone in on the grammar of that particular aspect of the language.
All I need is a few examples of how it’s used. I don’t want a long explanation. The real learning happens by noticing it and enforcing it when I’m immersing in content.
The AI tutor I’m using is available on the language platform Langua. For language learning, it’s unbeatable. It’s not only developed specifically for language learners, but it’s also the most human-sounding AI I have ever come across. To truly experience how amazing and useful it is, you need to try it for yourself. It’s a very dynamic and organic way of practicing conversation and improving grammar.
And for those of you who want to delve deep into the world of grammar, it can explain things as in-depth as you’d like. But it’s a completely customized grammar study experience.
It’s also a platform that has several interesting and useful immersion tools that integrate with this AI tutor in a clever way.
You can sign up for your Free Langua account to check out some of its features.
(For access to the AI conversation and grammar tutor choose either the ‘Communicate’ or ‘Unlimited’ plan. Use code LINGTUITIVE20 for 20% off any annual plan)
For language lessons, I’m a big fan of LanguaTalk. In my opinion, they have overall the highest quality of teachers, the most user-friendly platform, and the best customer service. Many teachers even offer a completely free 30-minute trial lesson.
Register a free account on either platform and you’ll get access to both (Langua and LanguaTalk), without having to make two separate accounts. This way, you’ll have access to the best of both worlds: conversations with AI and real native speakers.
iTalki is a good alternative if you’re learning a more uncommon language that’s not available on LanguaTalk.
Another useful way to improve grammar awareness is the Grammar Coach function in Lingopie (←get up to 73% off), which I talked about in this part of one of my posts about Lingopie. It’s a helpful tool to get a quick clarification in the middle of immersing in TV shows.
Conclusion
At the end of the day, we can’t escape grammar.
Grammar is an essential part of language; it provides the framework that allows us to express meaning clearly.
However, learning the grammar rules is not essential, but something you should only do if you’re especially interested in it.
Whether you know the rules or not, you still need to develop an intuitive sense of the grammar to speak fluently, which happens through immersing in comprehensible input.
Not everything can broken down into a rule, as there are always exceptions, especially when it comes to spoken language.
Just like pronunciation and how a language sounds, grammar is merely something to get used to until it becomes how you naturally process the language in your mind.
Even if you take a 100% intuitive approach you will inescapably learn some of the grammar rules along the way.
Once you reach an advanced level in a language, grammar becomes pretty much a non-issue. Because you will have already internalized it naturally through all that input you’ve gotten.
That being said, focusing on aspects of grammar out of curiosity can help raise your awareness before you reach an advanced level, benefiting your speaking and even comprehension at an intermediate stage.
What is your approach to grammar? Let me know in the comments below!
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