Learning Spanish grammar

[ChrisM]

I'm a firm believer that there's no such thing as a magic bullet when it comes to anything, especially second languages.

I have been studying Spanish for 20 months using various tools, mainly Duolingo due to a demanding job and am between A2 and B1.

I reckon my main hurdle at the moment is grammar. I've always loved languages and communicating, but have the opposite feeling about grammar and disliked it even when I was at school way back.

My appreciation of grammar so far has been through immersion but I'm sure I'd benefit greatly by a more in-depth understanding.

Does anyone have any resources they would recommend especially given my need to study in small chunks? Thanks in advance.

[Glen]

Congratulations on the immersion. That's a terrific strategy. Do you mean by listening or by reading? My own experience has been that learning grammar by immersion in reading helps a great deal, because you can stop at any time - even mid-sentence - and ask yourself why certain constructions are the way they are, then go study them at your leisure.

Your expressed need to study in small chunks can be met by always carrying around a small book in Spanish to read at intervals, armed with a pen to mark passages for investigating later on. What I'm reading now is Cartas de Madero, one of the heroes of the Mexican revolution, but there are many other good choices according to your interests. Just be sure they're original works and not translations!

Anyway, I believe cultivating a good accent helps to overcome mistakes in grammar; I tell friends who are learning English to not worry so much about correct grammar - it will come in its own good time - since people are generally willing to forgive mistakes and sometimes offer constructive criticism. That advice is based on my own experience committing every sort of error in Spanish.

Good Luck on this long, satisfying journey toward grammatical mastery.

[Aprendo]

Originally Posted by ChrisM

Does anyone have any resources they would recommend especially given my need to study in small chunks? Thanks in advance.

By "small chunks" perhaps you mean studying a specific grammar function (or grammar point)?

I use google and youtube.

If I have a specific grammar question / issue I type it in google and youtube.

I have always found explanations, modeling, and examples in various different sites/lessons.

I write them down in my portable notebook so I can take it with me to places I go to, to read over again and to read out-loud if necessary.

Then, I personalize the grammar point and write sentences using the grammar point that focuses on my personal experiences, perceptions, and feelings.

I also use a portable digital recorder at time to record my readings. I can then go to a cafe or somewhere with my digital recorder and mini-headphones and listen to me read the grammar focused sentences.

[poli]

You definitely are on the right track. The use of pronouns and the subjunctive are quite different from English if you didn't know that already, and require the most attention.