Practical communication without knowing the grammar (Spanish y English)
When needing to learn a new language for living, even if it's only temporary, in another country it's not necessary to understand the grammar of that language.
I myself use Spanish as a second language every day, and I've never studied Spanish.
For example, when I first arrived in Bogota, Colombia, I needed to order a drink at a bar. I wanted a rum and coke with lime. All I knew was: 'un ron con coca cola y limon, por favor' (a rum with coke and lime, please.) The uninterested bartender handed me a drink, and when I finished and wanted another I repeated the same words.
But, she stared at me and said 'tu vaso'. What? She repeated more or less, 'tu vaso, el vaso'. What? Eventually, irritated, she walked over to my plastic cup on the table and grabbed it. Oh! I thought. 'Vaso' means glass!
Then she said the word 'hielo' while pointing at the ice. I said, "Si."
Ok, now I knew the words for glass (maybe cup, too) and ice.
Since then, I've learnt the name of the drink 'Cuba libre' (rum and coke), and also an amazing word 'otro/otra' (depending on the gender) which means 'another'. Now buying this drink, and another and another, is easy.
My point is that my comprehension of the Spanish above was through experience, which involved association, and I never needed to understand the grammar. Even now, I learn grammar naturally by hearing Spanish every day and by trying to use it.
What I've learnt is that the required fundamental meanings of words and questions for communicating in any language are the same, and here is a simple list of what you should try to learn in your chosen new language (examples are in Spanish and English):
Where am I? (Donde estoy?)
Where are we? (Donde nosotros?)
Where is ...? (Donde esta ...?)
There are ... /Are there ...? (Hay ...) (Hay ...?)
I want ... (yo quiero ...)
I don't want ... (yo no quiero ...)
Do you want ...? (Quiere ...?)
I need ... (yo necesito ...)
I don't need ... (yo no necesito ...)
Do you need ...? (Necesita ...?)
I have ... (yo tengo ...)
I don't have ... (yo no tengo...)
Do you have ...? (Tiene ...?)
I like ... (yo me gusta ...)
I don't like ... (yo no me gusta ...)
Do you like ...? (Te gusta ...?)
Now all you have to do is add other words which you can use a dictionary for, and you're communicating without knowing the grammar!
Two words to know if you don't know the name of something are:
'this' (este), and 'that' (eso)
For example, 'I want that, please.' (Quiero eso, por favor.') I use this all the time in the Colombian bakeries because I don't know the names of many things.
I'm going to stop here but do experiment and let me know what you think of this article.
Thank you.
Heath
February 13, 2019
