A Great Tip For Learning Grammar In Foreign Languages | Polyglot Tips

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Learning grammar is a grey area for a lot of learners and something many of us struggle with. Today we discuss a really simple and effective tip for learning grammar more effectively!
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[@TiffanyHallmark]

This is such great advice. I love grammar, but it's nice when you already have the vocabulary to construct new patterns from.

[@annasamek5179]

Yes, you just described my frustrations with Duolingo : often, I feel that I am being taught be a teacher with ADHD. It seems that there is no plan to the lesson, it's all over the place, they try to confuse me so that I will make mistakes and often I wonder what is that they are trying to teach me??

[@M_SC]

Haha! I love duolingo. But I probably have adhd. Maybe it’s adhd for adhd.

[@Hello-rq9yx]

😂😂you just described my frustration. I feel like duolingo can tend to be better with some languages, but there are just some that is all over the place.

[@caros8298]

Hi Robin! It seems like I’m one of those few people who love grammar. I really enjoy discovering how languages are structured and how they function. However, knowing the rules and actively using them are two different pair of shoes. Your video gave me some ideas how to better practice grammar, thank you!

[@HistoryShell1786]

Yes, I am the same. I’m a grammar freak, I love languages and their structures

[@sheeliekittie9298]

You're not alone I like grammar too! It helps me feel like I really get the language. I wanted to make sure I understood - is Robin saying, we should not worry about big words and use the smallest words possible when we learn grammar?

[@Gionacloud]

I always start with the grammar every time I approach a new language. I get super self conscious about my mistakes and I have bad anxiety so studying the grammar make me feel more calm and at ease with trying to speak that new language. I also like to practice by writing a simple journal in my target language ^^ apps don't really work for me because they often end up beign a vocabulary boost but I reader learn vocabulary through reading and listening than learning a word out of context. I also feel like channel like your help so much, you just keep me motivated and I like to see that other people can struggle and can enjoy small achievements just like me. Also I feel like since I'm italian (and we like to put a lot of words and just keep saying things in the longer possible way and not the most simple and direct) I always try to create more complex phrases by default but yeah keep it short and simple! And be patient, you'll be able to slowly add details and more complex words but you have to start simple otherwise you'll make your head hurt! XD

[@schoolingdiana9086]

As an English teacher, I can tell you that when children are first learning to read in English, they have to sound out a word/encounter it **at least** 1000 times before they can just read it off without sounding out each syllable or letter combination. It should be a bit faster for adults, but you’ve still got to have a far amount of exposure to the same word or phrase before it “sticks.” That’s why I go back to my 4th grade spelling technique and write each word or phrase at least 5 times when I’m first learning it. If you can find an online quiz for Gardner’s Modalities, that will tell you which learning style you have. Mine is a weird combination of visual and hands-on. I “see” my hand, writing out the word, in my head, when I’m working to remember the exact letter or word combination.

[@rimplepal2841]

❤️

[@Learning_English_Together.]

I will follow your advice in order to learn English. Thank you so much!

[@AdoptMeIndia]

Fascinating.

[@harinisri2962]

Konnichiwa Robin San. Just now I finished my first Japanese grammar lesson and opened KZbin and saw ur notification on how to learn Grammar!! I am so Happy😁

[@tomrains7899]

Great video, yet again. I always use the same 20 verbs when hammering home grammar. Always keep it familiar. Also, great to see a sponsored video for something you actually use rather than the usual "I’ve never used this in my life but they’re paying me to say this" ones.

[@chadsmith7586]

Agreed! When I studied Biblical Hebrew and Classical Greek, we always used the same verb for learning a new conjugation. The book would introduce new words but would not use them in teaching grammar. As I’ve learned Spanish, it’s been difficult to understand new grammar, like the Subjunctive in the midst of vocab I don’t know.

[@artiesolomon3292]

great grammar tip totally agree. Some Russian verbs are longer than streets in Manhattan so stat learning past, perfective versus imperfective verbs with simple words otherwise it can be discouraging.

[@billywade7794]

Glad you are being sponsored now. I hope to get you to sponsor our program once its out of beta. Skolar is on its way. Glad you're back. Once a week is tough ot getting my Robin Fix.

[@arthurpiper3502]

Thanks Robin. I tried to learn Japanese about four years ago and every lesson was a car crash of material I felt swamped with. I started again thanks to lock-down this April with an italki tutor who speaks no English and has his own very simple materials. I supplement that with a KZbinr (Misa at Japanese Ammo) and the really good multimedia powerpoint slides from the basic Japanese grammar series and - I can now speak using some basic grammar without halting after every word. Absolutely: divide and conquer.

[@Learning_English_Together.]

What do you suggest? Should I start with the basics again? I am learning English and I haven't made progress for 3 or 4 months.

[@arthurpiper3502]

@@Learning_English_Together. perhaps go back to where you began struggling or try something completely different.

[@norabalogh5910]

Seconded! I remember having the experience of learning German very enthusiastically, initially via a variety of informal means, supplemented by looking up the occasional grammar point online. After getting to a sort of B1ish level in this fashion, i waa given just the right grammar book as a present, and for the next several weeks worked my way through it from end to end. The book was organized, super well done with lots of great examples and it was at the perfect level of depth for me at the time. It was also written in English, which I think is better until you reach a really advanced level, as you understand much more vividly and in depth in your mother tongue. And it had the very characteristic you’re talking about here Robin: the author stuck to a limited and simple set of vocabulary that was already almost entirely known to me (so I knew whether the nouns were der, die or das and whether the verbs took accusative or dative and could purely concentrate on the grammar points being made). The result was that it pulled my knowledge of the language together beautifully and going through it was actually a kind of “high”. P.S. For anyone interested, the book was Practice Makes Perfect - Complete German Grammar by Ed Swick.

[@phuongngakhuat5843]

Can i, a complete beginner, use the book?

[@SB-lc5qg]

Thanks for the recommendation!

[@norabalogh5910]

@@phuongngakhuat5843 Yes you could. It is designed to be suitable for beginners. Personally I don't believe in doing JUST grammar as a beginner. If I were using this book as a beginner, I would be using it as one among many resources and going through it slowly in combination with other language learning activities.

[@lucialee3011]

Thank you always for giving me a constant advice/reminder to keep up my language learning routine :) you are so inspiring!

[@EFoxVN]

This is SO true, thanks for sharing.

[@yourfirstsecondlanguage4782]

Brilliant advice as always :)

[@AlessandroBottoni]

Very nice, useful and inspiring video, as usual. Robin is becoming a reference point in my daily struggle with foreign languages...

[@rogertraylor7288]

Excellent point: vocabulary instruction and grammar instruction are often combined to ill effect ; should have thought of this myself!

[@rimplepal2841]

Love the advice Gracias

[@JonathanOlelo]

I'd say that in general, multitask learning doesn't work as well as some people expect it to

[@hopefillledday9026]

I study with TTMIK and they tend to use the same vocab for each lesson, and add in new vocab slowly, but they also make a point of saying not to try and memorise the vocab. It's a great way to learn as they reinforce your learning each lesson by repeating the words, and the past grammar used and build on top of that.

[@sheeliekittie9298]

oh is that a good resource for Korean? I was thinking of TTMIK! i wasn't sure I understood so - in this video its recommended we use simple or small words? when learning Grammar?

[@stuartlong6217]

Excellent video, precisely because you made a point that I'd never ever considered before. Yet it now seems obvious. I might go back to basics when reviewing some of the more complex grammar tenses, using simple words and phrases from A1 level and adapting them for something more complex.

[@user-qm6nz3dv3q]

Thanks a lot for your thoughts 😊 It just the way my student book is built - the new words+ new grammar. And every time I feel that there are too many things to remember... It's great idea to slow down a bit 😉

[@YogaBlissDance]

OMG getting so much satisfaction from watching you- as many of your methods are what I find work best. So yes, I automatically create simple sentences when practicing grammar. It just makes sense. I go to simple words and try to plug them into the new rule or usage.

[@tommyhuffman7499]

Solid advice

[@SanDra-zr9he]

Thanks Robin, just signed up for skillshare. Auf zu neuen Abenteuern!

[@AdoptMeIndia]

100% this has been my experience. It seemed intuitive to me to do all the grammar practice using words I already knew and I found it frustrating when tutors would suggest otherwise as I could really feel it slow down the uptake of the actual grammar rule I was trying to grasp. Similarly, trying to learn grammar in a logical order also seems important. My experience has been they there are rules that you need to know to more easily understand other rules when you come to them.

[@justnoticing]

You are spot on with this simple tip. I started learning at U3A and our teachers have always relied on text books as they are either/and not teachers or native speakers. These books give them structure and guidance as teachers as they provide explanations of grammar, recordings, exercises, activities and the answers. Unfortunately, they always provide lots of new vocabulary along with the grammar points. The chapter we worked on last was introducing the subjunctive along with loads of vocabulary about applying for jobs and the world of work which is difficult and not relevant to we seniors. Yay for your Skillshare sponsorship.

[@EFoxVN]

Hi Robin, I agree fully with you on this point! I have never thought about it this way, but it is certainly true. Why introduce two difficult aspects at the same time? I hope that one day the language teaching houses, courses and methods will catch up with the polyglots like you. It will make a lot of people's lives much more easy. Hugs from South Africa P.S. One of the advantages of having read somewhat in your target language before studying grammar, is that you already know a lot of the words introduced in the vocab section. Now that you mentioned this aspect, I realized it helps me a lot.

[@wartburgphilology]

Yes! One of my biggest pet peeves with standard instruction is the mental load of shoving grammar AND vocab into peoples’ heads all at once. It always seemed to be the main reason the majority of my uni classmates got overwhelmed & mentally checked out after the first term in every language I took 😞

[@celinaduguay6484]

Nice video!

[@alobo_78]

Good to know about You!!!! A Big hug! Con la gramática puedo organizar la cantidad de palabras e ideas que adquiero en los podcast, videos, etc... Me gusta mucho porque soy una persona analítica pero prefiero aprovechar los recursos utilizando mind mapping. Lo has probado?

[@Howtogetfluent]

Learn one new thing at a time! Couldn't agree more. It was something Michel Thomas understood well, I think. That said, I suppose it's sometimes difficult to carry through, especially at the beginning (unless we start by learning a bunch of words/phrases and given translations without delving into the grammar). Courses could at least introduce a new strucutre on the example of words from previous units and then introduce more words, maybe practising them with already learned structures.

[@elyhansen]

I agree.

[@brentnichols4448]

Hi Robin I’m learning Italian and I’ve adopted some of your ideas, i came across a couple of your videos one where you mentioned sentence patterns and another where you mentioned conversation islands. I agree with your thoughts on Duolingo, I have all these words but not sure how to put them together. I’m looking for examples of how I would create both sentence patterns and conversation islands.

[@maggiemondo7459]

How did you know I was studying the Passive Voice. In my case it is more 'trying to run before I can walk - or is it talk in German'. I nearly blew up my brain - too much cognitive load (think that is one of your expressions). Time to step back to basics and go back to a bit of easy reader/ing - more enjoyable too.

[@dokasaku1233]

I feel very comfortable with African animal names in English. Thank you

[@dazaisenpai3954]

Any good book to learn German with ?

[@o_felipe_reis]

Yeah many language courses overrate grammar.

[@RobinMacPhersonFilms]

🎈 The first 1000 people to use this link will get a free trial of Skillshare Premium Membership: skl.sh/robinmacpherson12201

[@Trillvil1]

I’m not gonna lie I’m not tryna be one of those crazy ones in the comment section but I gotta be honest. I never study grammar. I’m on Turkish n French right now three weeks of listening to kids stories n I’m getting a handle on the languages naturally. I’ve taught myself Spanish already n I’ll tell you what. Thinking of grammar while speaking is a bad idea

[@tullochgorum6323]

Yes, yes, yes. Grammar is taught so badly! It's usually taught with a great slab of intimidating text rather that with clear diagrams. It's usually taught as a set of random atomistic rules, without giving the learner an overview of how it all fits together to enable nuanced communication. And as you are arguing here, it's normally taught in ways that produce cognitive overload, while it should be broken down into the minimal viable chunks. Oh, and it's normally taught without proper prioritisation. Just this morning I was reading an introductory grammar that leapt into all the rules for the gender of fruit trees within pages of introducing the concept of a noun. Really? That kind of stuff can wait till we are ready to use a reference grammar. It's a fascinating subject when taught right. Language is literally what makes us human, and grammar can give us insight into how it works and make it easier to learn. But the way it's taught puts most people off and they miss all the potential benefits.

[@sharongagnist6428]

I don't put my debit card # anywhere online... so I can't even try skillshare.... I can learn for free... 👎