Studying Grammar Makes You BETTER

Added: 2026-05-15

[00:00:00]What's up, grinders? Welcome back to the channel. So, today we're going to be reacting to another video from Joe Semah. I've reacted once to him before.

[00:00:07]I believe he's several thousands of hours into doing the DS route for Spanish, and I've been requested by my Discord to check this video out. So, it's called studying grammar could make you worse. But, before we begin, before we HIT PLAY, MAKE SURE YOU HIT THAT [ __ ] SUB BUTTON, BRO. You guys have stopped subbing recently. I've been warning you at the end of every video of what's going to happen if you don't do that. Well, guess what?

[00:00:28]The last 3 days of study that you guys have been doing, it's all gone now. It's all gone. That's your fault for not subbing.

[00:00:34]>> Hey, what's up, guys? In today's video, I want to talk about why grammar could actually make you worse in your target language. I'll talk about how I started learning Spanish, especially because I used to try to use grammar in the beginning as well. In the first month I did it, a combination of Duolingo, conjugation charts, and trying to put together >> Does Duolingo even teach grammar? My understanding is it doesn't. It basically gives you templates, which obviously incorporate some type of grammar there. But, it just gives you templates, and it's like, "This is how it works." No, it doesn't say this is how it works. He goes, "Here is a template. Put it together." And you're just kind of meant to figure out how to slot things together. Like, there's no notes from what I understand. There used to be, but they got rid of them all. So, like I don't know if you can count Duolingo as teaching grammar.

[00:01:15]Then again, it's been a long time since I used Duolingo.

[00:01:17]>> sentences like through Google Translate.

[00:01:19]And I realized there's a lot of missing gaps that I had. First off is that the conjugations for different verbs had different accents. So, for hablar, you could say hablé. So, you can say something in the past like I spoke. And I wasn't able to I am 970 hours into dreaming Spanish.

[00:01:33]I was unaware that that existed.

[00:01:35][laughter] I had no concept of Spanish grammar, okay? The only things I understand about Spanish grammar is usually [ __ ] that I've accidentally read in the comment section or someone has just said to me in passing. Apart from that, everything else I recognize from Spanish by just literally context. It's at the point where it's just like I've heard that sentence in in specific context enough times for me to figure out the entire meaning of that sentence, but even then sometimes I completely mess it up.

[00:02:01]>> Use the correct intonation when I would read the word out because I would just read it with like the accent on the A instead of the E, and that's because I really haven't heard the language enough for me to know to put the accent on the E where the actual accent is at. Or Okay, maybe I'm assuming wrong, but before you started dreaming Spanish, cuz obviously you've you've done study prior to this, you were aware of that grammar.

[00:02:24]You were unable to use it in speech, so you're unable to grab the words and then apply the grammar to it in a natural way, it sounds like, but you were aware of the grammar that exists. Because you're literally describing something that I am unaware of at the moment, okay? Again, 970 hours into Spanish. I get the feeling that probably the best way to do this kind of you know heavy input approach, I'm not talking ALG now, I'm just talking heavy input approach, is to be aware of the grammar and then do your heavy input approach. So like I don't know, maybe even just spend a couple hours just reading over a book.

[00:02:58]You don't have to memorize. Don't know I'm not saying go out there and memorize rules. I'm saying just be aware of what exists. Just like have a a bird's eye view. That way when you do listen to hundreds hours of content, your brain's not starting from literally zero. It has something. It's like, well, I'm aware that there's genders.

[00:03:15]So maybe I should pay attention slightly to that. Like you not even like consciously. It's just you've given your brain something to hook into, you know what I mean? And the fact that he's talking about, you know, accent markers changing, I guess, the tense.

[00:03:27]Like I'm probably going to be hyper aware of that now moving forward. I don't know. Even how to do accents in the language as well. And the fact that the second to last syllable is most of the time stressed in most words. So using conjugation charts and actually making them by hand didn't really help me much because I barely could even say the word afterwards. Yeah, but it sounds like you were well aware of how the language conjugates. Unable to apply it, but aware of it. That I think that makes a big difference at the end of the day because when I went into this purposely as part of my experiment, I was not aware of what grammar exists for Spanish. Okay, I was aware to a degree because I've studied Latin before I I'm fluent in Espanol, so I understand, you know, kind of how the European languages work. I'd heard in passing before, you know, Spanish has genders and it conjugates. Like the fact that it conjugates was something I was aware of, okay. But I had not studied what conjugations existed. So I was unable to hear those and I'm still unable to hear them. Like even point. Like I hear that the endings change on words. I have no idea why they change.

[00:04:27]That's about it. And then the worst is when you would try to put them together.

[00:04:30]You can't really put together language especially if you don't know first what the word is, how to say it, and also the grammar of the language. And so you might think that, okay, then the actual solution is that you have to learn some grammar. But that's also a misconception because grammar is actually the easy part when it comes to learning a language. The harder part is getting the vocabulary surrounding all of that grammar. And you can see this for yourself. If you know most of the vocabulary in a sentence, you can for the most part figure out what's going on in the sentence.

[00:04:54]That is true most of the time. I am a perfect example of that. 970 hours into Spanish, don't know the grammar, but I can pick up via context and all the individual words that I know what is going on. I can kind of figure that out.

[00:05:07]Obviously if I close my eyes, turn away from the screen, I don't have the visuals, my comprehension would drop probably. But I can figure out generally from context what's going on. And the grammar that's happening in the sentences as well. Also the context of the situation is also important. And if you're trying to interfere with this process by adding in grammar drills and trying to do exercises where they practice a certain grammar concept, that for the most part has like a lot of exceptions especially if you look at English. English is a language that has a lot of exceptions to a lot of rules.

[00:05:34]It's really hard to apply that rule to every scenario because every scenario is different. The context surrounding it is all different as well. And it may be the case that in this context you have to use a certain form of the verb, but you don't really have to Yes, so you don't need to go out and drill grammar patterns. I would say um drill chunks. So specific chunks of the link I have a whole video on chunks.

[00:05:54]I'm not going to go over chunks again.

[00:05:55]Editor, put a link to it over here or something, okay? But like you might want to I want to say might I recommend you do it in fact like just based on my own experience. Practice chunks because they are complete units and thoughts and ideas within the language, okay? And that will help you because then rather than trying to grab like individual words and then bits and pieces over here left right center and try and slap them together all in the moment. A chunk is just like ah well, I know the whole thing goes like this and I can just swap out one part to use it for another. Or for example, you have to say a certain word, a connecting word that usually isn't used, but in that context it is.

[00:06:26]And I saw this for myself. I was trying to apply English grammar to Spanish. And when I would form together sentences, I would try to mash together words that wouldn't really make sense. And you would know that if you actually listen to the language.

[00:06:38]Yeah, but if you practice it also as a chunk, um like that entire piece where you keep because like This is going to This happens even with I've seen in your comment section at what was it your 2,000 hour update or something where people were saying you're speaking with a very English style of grammar. So even after thousands of hours, you still you can't avoid it. You literally have to work it out. Like you have to go in there and go okay, this is a this is a problematic piece. It's fossilized. Whether I like it or not, I'm going to have to work on that. I got that problem in Chinese. I'm slowly working on it. Um and it's getting better day by day because I'm doing a lot of hours >> now. Lots. All of the grammar you can learn all just through context. And the main part is just getting the vocabulary and gluing everything together in your minds as you listen to shows and content in your target language. I'll make a caveat that when you get really advanced in a language, maybe grammar could help to actually make yourself aware of a certain concept that doesn't really exist in your native language. For example, something in Spanish is the subjunctive. That's not really used in English. But even that I would argue that if you have enough input and data, you should be able to figure it out. And then you won't really need to study that grammar specifically. So it might be a good idea just to make yourself aware that there is a subjunctive in Spanish and that there's accents and that they change the way words are actually said.

[00:07:49]But, trying to apply the Okay, so if someone is watching my videos and you're playing with the idea of doing the ALG approach or not or just a heavy input approach or not, I'm going to disagree with everything he said right now.

[00:08:01]Please make yourself aware of the grammar. You will save yourself potentially hundreds of hours. I'm almost positive about that at this point. You don't have to practice it.

[00:08:11]You don't have to sit there drilling it.

[00:08:12]You don't even have to do chunking like I recommended, okay? Just be aware of what exists so that when you're listening, you've given your brain just something to hook into because even now, I'm telling you at 970 hours of no grammar study in Spanish, I am still completely unaware of how words fit together in this language. I feel like this is just terrible advice.

[00:08:34]Just overall. Like, sure, you could do this for thousands and of hours, you know, 2, 3, 4,000 hours. Eventually, your brain will figure it all out. But, why make your brain go through all that when you can just speed it up a little bit, okay? I understand you don't want to study grammar. You're not You're not a grammar person, okay? You don't want to do flash cards. You don't want to do chunking. You don't want to You just want to sit there and joy listen to the language. Then, watch some videos about grammar in the language at least, you know? Just get an idea and it will help you along the way, trust me. or in real time using rules or certain exercises doesn't really work.

[00:09:04]When native speakers speak, they don't really think about any rules or anything like that. They just continue speaking.

[00:09:09]And so, if you're a stuck three sentences behind trying to figure out how to use the subjunctive in this next sentence that you want to say, you'll just get Yeah, but we're not native speakers. I don't know why anyone keeps pretending that we're making native speakers with this method. You You don't sound like a native. Like, you sound great when you speak Spanish. I've heard you speaking, but you're easily to pick out that you're not a native. Like, I've had natives listen to you and they're like, "Yes, yeah, you're not a native."

[00:09:31]This is the problem, okay? I have not found a secondary speaker of a language who sounds like a native to a native except in some super rare instances where the person has literally lived in that language more than their own native language. They probably heavily studied phonetics, and they might even be musicians. They're just attuned to sounds, okay? And they've just spent an insane amount of hours in language. So, like this chasing native thing, like I get it. We all want to be the best that we can. But if if you try and get that little fish way down at the end there, okay? If we have to give up all of this, you know, all this um speed that we could get just by literally just being aware of the grammar, just for the hope, the little carrot at the end that we might sound like a native, I don't think it's worth it.

[00:10:22]>> you're lost, and you won't be able to have a fluid conversation with an actual native speaker. All that said, if you guys are interested in one-on-one coaching, you guys can sign up in the description box below, and we can figure out a nice custom plan to get you to the next level in your language. Also, Wait, isn't I'm Aren't you like the AOUG guy?

[00:10:36]Wouldn't Wouldn't your advice be just Bro, sit down, immerse [ __ ] I'm not trying to take your clients away. I'm just a just kind of curious like what what what would the advice be? [ __ ] just sit down and listen to more content. Got some good content over here. I got a a list of anime I recommend. No, I'm just joking. You know what would be really funny? You know what would be absolutely batshit funny? If by the end of like 2,003 hours of me doing, you know, AOUG DS style, imagine if I just came away with like a native-sounding Argentinian accent, and I've been saying all this [ __ ] for like thousands hours. I'd be like Uh awkward.

[00:11:12]But I I just don't see it happening.

[00:11:14]Like, I'll try my best, but yeah. I don't know why people are just so against grammar. Like, you don't have to memorize it. Just be aware.

[00:11:22]I think I've said what I wanted to say.

[00:11:24]If you guys like this video, let me know down in the comments section below. By the way, um Joe, I am not picking on you. I just fundamentally disagree about this one aspect uh overall. That's all, okay? So, this is not me hating on you. If you guys like what he's got to say and you want to check out his channel, go hit this up.

[00:11:38]You see, I'm a sub. See, I'm a supporter. I'm a lover. I'm not a hater.

[00:11:42]I hate and love. I'll see you all in the next video.