Grammar...what for?

In this day of “fun and easy” everything, grammar has become the elephant in the room of language learning that many are refusing to acknowledge. After all, grammar is boring, and tedious and many did study grammar and never learn to speak Spanish anyway. Maybe. But the truth is that all the courses that offer you fun and easy Spanish without grammar can and will only take you so far, and basically make you dependant to parroting phrases and remembering  cues. They’ll turn you into the second-rate actress that can say her lines but not fully understand your character. Grammar is one of the main tools which will allow you to grow as a second-language student and make it possible for you to become fluent, even bilingual. Grammar is the dancer’s workout that will allow you to move poetically and effortless; the heavy weight that will rip your muscles and make them grow; the algorithm that will help you decipher the formula; the biting of the bullet which separates the boys from the men.

So can you make grammar more fun? Yes-with some imagination.  How about turning it into a quiz game of sorts you can play with other Spanish students? Or how about role-playing? Imagine you are the Spanish teacher: how would you explain a certain rule to a child or a beginner? What relevant examples could you use? What comparisons between your native language and Spanish? What images? How would you use it in context?

 If you don’t have the time or the inclination for the above, just focus more on your grammar exercises: clear time for them, so you can really concentrate without distractions. Correct them mindfully, seeing if there are any patterns, either in the answers or in your mistakes. Maybe challenge yourself by including a few exercises from upper levels or by limiting your time. More than anything, see in grammar in the everyday use of the language: find it in Spanish newspapers and TV programmes and songs; see how natives use it or alter it. Accept and embrace the fact that you need to understand grammar to be able to use your new language and relish the freedom that such understanding gives your beyond some memorized sentences and expressions.