I recently started learning (modern) Greek. As this is the first time I've tried to learn a second language, I have a question about learning to speak more naturally. Because Greek has such a different grammatical structure compared to English, whenever I try to speak a sentence I find myself thinking through the grammar in my head and then saying the sentence. At such an early stage, this process does slow me down. So, my question is: should I focus on thinking through what I'm going to say now, and expect that someday (after lots of practice) the grammar will become second nature?
1 Answer
I had the same struggle when I was learning English. I did was using the language 24/7. I was thinking in my head in English. I changed language settings to English on my phone, laptop and anything that I could change. Also, I watched a lot of reality shows and tv shows to learn how people speak, and I repeated whatever phrases they said. Also, I was hanging out with native English speakers. It takes time but eventually you will get there.