Hello!
Do you think it is easier to learn a language through conversation or through studying grammar and doing grammar exercises? I know that different ways work for different people, but I am curious what people find to be the most effective.
For myself, I feel like studying grammar creates a great foundation, but it is very difficult to apply in conversation because people don't usually speak in complete, well-structured sentences.
For example, I notice in English that all of my friends say "I'm into it" when they like something. If I ask my friend what he thinks of my new shoes, he will likely respond, "I'm into it." (or "I'm into them" if he is minding his grammar). I just can't imagine that students would learn this in a textbook or in any grammar exercises. This seems like something that you could only pick up in a conversation or maybe by seeing it in a movie or on TV.
Here is a video with a few examples of how to use this phrase if you are unfamiliar with it:
<a href="https://youtu.be/qVSGRxLUIdU" style="color: rgb(17, 85, 204); font-family: arial, sans-serif; font-size: small; line-height: normal;">I'm Into It - Phrasal Verb</a>
What do you think? Which is your preferred method of learning a language? Why do you think that method works?
Thanks for reading!
"I'm into it" isn't very popular anymore, at least where I live.
I think "Do you like my shoes?" is a much more common way to ask it than "Are you into my shoes?" I'd only ask the latter if I was trying to get a laugh by using outdated slang or making a pun.
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<table width="100%" border="0" cellspacing="0"><tbody><tr><td valign="top" class="translationText" style="color: rgb(67, 67, 67); width: 319px;">Some consider that it is better to begin with a spoken language. Often occurs, so, that having learned grammar, it is necessary to study a spoken language anew. But after colloquial language is learned - simpler to learn grammar. So occurs in life while we study the native language.</td></tr></tbody></table>
I think it depends on the learner. Everyone learns differently which is why it is so important that students take responsibility for their learning and understand what is best for them.
I learn better through conversation, which is why I teach it! When I was learning Spanish, I picked up more from conversation than I ever did in my classes. For me, having someone correcting/coaching/encouraging me when I speak is a big help. Now that I am learning ASL, I notice that my conversations help me in class because I have already been exposed to many words before I officially learn them. I know people, however, that really need the grammar side to progress successfully. Neither is good or bad, and as others have said, usually we need a combination of both to really learn a language.
