Hi Steve.

I'm a language teacher and in my classes at school I have to deal with grammar because it is part of a syllabus. When it comes to my own learning process, however, I prefer to learn in an intuitive manner. I've been learning Spanish for 5 months now, and it seems to work. I like to "notice" how language works, compare and contrast Spanish with my mother tongue (Portuguese), but I never do grammar exercises because I find them excrutiatingly boring.

How about you? How did you learn Italian?

All my best,

Guilherme.

Hi, there!

So, I prefer to learn in an intuitive manner, listening to native speakers. I'm using youtube.com and reading some book about physical education, my prefered subject.

When I was learning Japanese I noticed that each language consisted of two sub-languages - spoken and written. In Japanese you can see it more clearer. I knew people who were  skilled in one sub-language and absolutely incompetent in another.

So, if you wish to learn the written sub-class you have to drill books and grammar. Without grammar it will be hard to understand long sentences.

If you chose the spoken one - you have to listen, repeat and speak. In some way it is easier, as the spoken language generally consists of short finished models. Generally people speak using models and nothing more. They hear them, unconsciously make them their own stuff and blod and speak. It's like how learns to speak a baby.  But the models have to be good and correct, that's why I say "in some way". I am sure if one learns  by heart about 200 good models of a new language, he/she will be able to start an easy conversation.

But if you want to learn language in a whole ( both sub-classes together), you have to get through both grammar and speaking.