Disclaimer: This blog article is intended for learners aged 13 and above who are studying English as a second language.

The Grammar question

• Do we need grammar to speak in English?
• Can I speak in English without learning grammar?

Every English learner encounters this question about grammar even before beginning their language-learning journey. Moreover, you may come across people claiming, "You don’t need grammar." To support their point, they often ask questions like, "Does a child learn grammar to speak their first language?" or "Do we rely on grammar when speaking our first language?”

Additionally, many language teachers make similar promises, saying, "You don’t need grammar. Join us, and we’ll teach you English naturally, without the need to study grammar.”

Learning to cook, a metaphor

Before diving into this grammar question, let’s consider a different scenario.

Imagine you’re trying to learn how to cook biryani or your favorite dish. You have two approaches to choose from.

Way 1: Figuring it out on your own

I give you a bowl of delicious, fully cooked biryani and ask you to taste it and learn how to recreate it. How would you go about it?

You taste and savor it, then start figuring things out on your own: What type of rice is used? (Be careful—there’s a heated debate between Basmati and Seeraga Samba!) What spices are included? What oil is used? How is the meat prepared? and so on. Eventually, after piecing together all these details, you’ll attempt to make the biryani by figuring out the recipe yourself. Whether humans can eat it or not, well… that’s another story!

Way 2: Following the recipe

I provide you with all the ingredients—rice, meat, oil, spices, and everything else needed to make biryani. Along with that, you receive a detailed recipe with step-by-step instructions: How to prepare the meat? How much rice to use? What spices to add, and in what quantities?

All you have to do is follow the steps and instructions, and you’ll end up with a perfectly cooked biryani.

Two Approaches to Learning English

Now, let’s apply the same logic to learning English.

Approach 1: Figuring it out on your own

This is the approach most people recommend. Let’s call it the "don’t-worry-about-grammar way" or the "just-start-speaking way."

What happens here?

You listen to people, watch movies, and read books. By doing so, you observe grammatically correct sentences and try to figure out patterns—verbs, tenses, voice, and much more—just like trying to reverse-engineer a fully cooked biryani recipe.

Approach 2: Learning with a Map

In this method, you’re given the rules and instructions upfront. You learn what a sentence is, what elements it contains, and how they fit together.

Here, words, phrases, and idiomatic expressions are like the ingredients. You may already know enough words to communicate in English. Grammar, then, acts as the recipe, showing you how to combine those words correctly to form sentences that make sense.

And that’s the second way!

Arguments Against Grammar: A Closer Look

Before we reach a verdict, let’s take a closer look at the arguments claiming we can speak English without learning grammar.

Argument 1: Do children speak after learning grammar?

At first glance, this question might seem logical, doesn’t it? But it’s the wrong question.

Here’s why: Children do learn grammar, but they do so by observing and internalizing the sentences they hear. Linguists suggest that children seem to have an innate ability to correct and develop their own grammatical rules, even when exposed to incorrect usage. However, this process takes years of immersion and trial and error.

So, the right questions to ask are:

1. Are we children?
2. Do we have years to dedicate to learning a language naturally?

As adults or teenagers, basing our learning approach on how children acquire language is both impractical and ineffective.

Argument 2: Do we think about grammar when we speak our mother tongue?

This argument doesn’t hold up. Let’s consider these examples in Tamil:

Can we say, ‘அவன் வருகிறார்கள்’ or ‘நான் நேற்று வருவேன்’?

You instinctively know both are incorrect—and you also know why. That’s grammar!

So yes, we do rely on grammar when we speak our mother tongue. The difference is that grammar has become so deeply internalized through years of practice that we use it effortlessly, without conscious thought.

The verdict: Which approach is faster and easier?

Let’s pause and review this carefully.

To cook a biryani that’s actually edible, which method is faster and easier?

1. Trying to figure out the recipe on your own.
2. Following a proven recipe that’s already available.

Similarly, to speak correct English, which approach is faster and easier?

1. Figuring out everything on your own through trial and error.
2. Learning the rules and instructions that are already well-defined.

Now, ask yourself: What would a wise person choose?

And there you have your verdict.