Is grammar really that important?

SeanMadd

Okay, well obviously grammar is important, but is it worth it in order to become fluent? I mean, I'm a fluent English speaker and have never learned about infinitive cases, etc etc. I'm currently learning German and Irish in school, and would love to excel in them. And, since I don't know about English grammar, I kind of fail to understand German/irish grammar.(Even talking about genitive cases and such.. yikes).

Obviously, if I went to live in Germany for 2 years or so, I'd come home being able to speak fluently(Well, probably!) without have learnt any grammar.

So why must we learn it?!

(Oh, and if anyone wants to tell me/direct me to some helpful websites about learning grammar, that's easy to understand, I'd greatly appreciate it!)

dory

You have to hear a language a lot to be able to get around formally learning grammar.

The way you learn it in school, although a bit boring, is a short cut. It's easier just to learn which are masculine/feminine and then what you do with it in that case.

There's a difference in being able to speak a language and being able to pass a test in it. Maybe native Irish speakers I know didn't do too well in college because they wrote things incorrectly.

peckerhead

SeanMadd wrote: »

I'd come home being able to speak fluently (...) without have learnt any grammar.

So why must we learn it?!

I think you just answered your own question.

sNarah

You would be able to converse. Which is not exactly mastering a language. You can live in a country as long as you like and pick up bits n pieces, but structurally, your grammar will be wrong. Which is why schools have to put so much emphasis on it - consider it a building stone of which you build (learn) the language.

That said - if being able to understand/reply, there really is no need for grammatical correctness. I you want to master a language, there definitely is.

SeanMadd

Okay, Thanks everyone. I guess I should suck it up and learn it! Ha! Any good sites that will help?

sNarah

Your leaving cert courses are actually good starting points!
Otherwise any grammer book will be useful, particulary if they provide exercises to do, as it sinks in much quicker that way than just reading the theory!

Good luck!

Apanachi

Grammar is important in the sense that certain words or expression can mean something totally different if the grammar is incorrect.

However, you can generally get by with bad grammar, most people will know from the context what you mean. I came to Germany just having leaving cert Germany, made loads of mistakes (some very funny ones too ) but after a while you pick up the grammar.

As far as knowing English grammar, you will find native English speakers don't really need to understand it they just know things as as they are without knowing the reasoning behind it.

The same goes for a most Germans, when it comes to actually explaining German grammar to our children, my German husband lets me do it, because whereas he knows how a certain article changes according to situation, he doesn't know why it changes (nominative/dative/genitive/accusative)