Should I study grammar before speaking?
Grammar1 min readUpdated August 2026
Grammar is best learned as an explanation for patterns you already say, not as a prerequisite for saying anything.
No. Grammar explains patterns; it does not install them.
Patterns first, labels later
Learn the sentence "se me olvidó" as a thing you say. Later, when someone tells you it is a reflexive construction, the label lands on something you already own. Doing it in the other order gives you a label attached to nothing.
Where grammar does help
When you keep making the same mistake, a five-minute explanation can fix it permanently. Use grammar as a debugger, not as a curriculum.