From Sentences to Grammar, Not from Grammar to Sentences: A Different Approach to Language Learning

This article explores a practical approach to language learning inspired by polyglot Semih Uçar’s idea of moving “from sentences to grammar, not from grammar to sentences.” Instead of beginning with abstract grammar rules and trying to build sentences afterward, learners are encouraged to first encounter meaningful sentences through reading, listening, stories, and real-life contexts, and then discover the grammatical patterns behind them. Drawing on personal experiences with Russian and Persian, the article argues that grammar remains essential but should function as a tool rather than the main goal of language learning. By learning sentences first and analyzing their structures later, learners can develop a more natural, enjoyable, and sustainable understanding of a foreign language.

From Sentences to Grammar, Not from Grammar to Sentences: A Different Approach to Language Learning

Ozan Dur
Historian, Author

These days, I have been reading Semih Uçar’s book Around the World in 10 Languages (10 Dilde Devr-i Âlem), and I wanted to write about a method I recently came across in the book. Once I finish it, I will have read all of the books written by Semih Uçar. I had previously enjoyed his book Dil Yolcusu (The Language Traveler) very much and recommended it to my students as well.

Semih Uçar is a polyglot and a versatile figure who has devoted many years to helping people in Türkiye learn foreign languages more effectively. I first started following his work because of his efforts in language learning, and later I had the opportunity to interview him. In this article, I would like to focus on an important point he raises: how we should approach grammar when learning a foreign language.

How Much Grammar Should We Learn?

We usually learn grammar from grammar books. Grammar rules are not always particularly difficult, but the learning process can become difficult because we often try to memorize them directly.

There is an Arabic saying that compares grammar to salt in food. Following this analogy, grammar should be like the amount of salt in a meal. Salt is essential, but too much of it can ruin the taste. We need a similar balance when learning grammar.

However, we sometimes become overwhelmed by grammar. When we fail to learn a language successfully, we start again, and once again our first step is to return to grammar. As a result, we can find ourselves trapped in the same cycle.

The opposite extreme—considering grammar completely unimportant—is not correct either. Grammar matters. However, when learning a language, we should try to choose methods that are enjoyable and sustainable. When people enjoy a language and develop a genuine interest in it, they are able to study for much longer.

For this reason, taking a grammar book and trying to memorize every rule from beginning to end is simply not a sustainable method for most learners.

We Make a Similar Mistake When Learning Vocabulary

We often make the same mistake when memorizing vocabulary. We begin enthusiastically and try to learn hundreds of words, but after a while, the number of words becomes overwhelming and our motivation begins to decline.

This is where realistic goals become important. If you want to memorize vocabulary directly, it may be more effective to work with small and sustainable daily targets. Depending on your level and available time, learning perhaps 3–10 words a day may be much more practical than trying to memorize hundreds of words in a short period.

Our goals should also be clear.

Instead of saying:

“I will study a lot this week.”

we can say:

“I will learn 10 new words every day this week.”

The second goal is much more concrete. The more measurable and realistic our goals are, the easier it becomes to track our progress.

Moving from Sentences to Grammar

In the past, foreign languages were often taught through grammar-heavy systems. Of course, some people became successful language learners through these methods, but there were also many who struggled.

Today, many institutions place greater emphasis on communication, reading, listening, and learning through context. Since I am familiar with the language-learning processes and outcomes of some universities, I believe modern approaches offer important advantages for students.

Semih Uçar draws attention to a particularly interesting idea in his book:

Do not move from grammar to sentences; move from sentences to grammar.

Most of us tend to do the opposite. First, we memorize a grammar rule, and then we try to create sentences according to that rule.

Uçar recommends starting with sentences already present in our minds and then discovering or understanding the grammatical structure through those sentences.

For example, in English, we might first learn the sentence:

I have lived here for five years.

If we encounter this sentence—or similar sentences—again and again in different texts and contexts, we gradually become familiar with the structure “have lived.”

Later, when we study the Present Perfect, the grammatical rule no longer feels completely unfamiliar because we have already encountered the structure in real language.

In this way, grammar stops being an abstract collection of rules and becomes a system that explains sentences we have already seen and understood.

I Experienced This While Learning Russian

When I first started studying Russian, I focused too heavily on grammar. After some time, I realized that I was not making as much progress as I wanted.

However, when I began learning grammar through texts, I started progressing more quickly. I would first encounter sentences and expressions and then try to understand the grammatical structures behind them.

I can therefore say that the method Semih Uçar describes has also worked for me to a certain extent.

I find this approach particularly useful when learning tenses. After seeing a particular structure in dozens of different sentences, reading its explanation in a grammar book can make the rule much easier to understand and remember.

I also believe that textbooks and other learning materials specifically designed around this approach could produce very effective results.

I Followed a Similar Approach with Persian

Without realizing it, I followed a similar method while learning Persian.

My teacher would explain a grammar topic in class, and afterward I would read as many stories as I could find. When I repeatedly encountered the grammatical structure I had learned in class, it gradually became embedded in my mind.

In other words, I was not learning grammar merely as a rule. I was also seeing how that rule actually worked in a living language.

Many polyglots today also emphasize the importance of having ready-made sentences and sentence patterns in our minds. After all, when we speak, we do not construct every sentence from scratch by consciously calculating grammar rules. Instead, we rely heavily on familiar patterns and structures that we have encountered many times before.

Therefore, rather than abandoning grammar altogether, perhaps we should simply change the way we approach it.

Grammar is not the goal; it is a tool that helps us understand and use a language more effectively.

First, let us see the language, read it, listen to it, and encounter sentences in meaningful contexts. Then we can use grammar to understand why those sentences are constructed in the way they are.

Perhaps the question we should ask ourselves when learning a language is not:

“Which grammar topic should I memorize today?”

but rather:

“Which sentences should I genuinely learn and become able to use today?”

Semih Uçar’s Views on the Method

In his book Around the World in 10 Languages (10 Dilde Devr-i Âlem), Semih Uçar explains this approach in the following words:

“I have been saying this insistently for years, both in my classes and in my books:

Do not move from grammar to sentences; move from sentences to grammar.

Learn the language for real: read, listen, speak, and write. Take grammar in small, concentrated pieces along the way.

Do not say, ‘First I will learn the individual parts—the grammatical features—and then, when I need them, I will put them together and use them to form sentences,’ because our brains do not work effectively in this way.

First, engrave the whole into your mind—learn the sentence. Then think about the individual parts of that sentence and learn its grammatical features.

First, engrave the sentence into your mind. By doing this, you will naturally internalize the grammatical features contained within that sentence as well.

Learn grammar through sentences rather than trying to memorize rules as if you were memorizing mathematical formulas.

First, have the sentence in your mind. Then, if you want, think about why that sentence is constructed in that particular way and analyze it grammatically. If the sentence is already in your mind, grammatical analysis can be extremely useful and can accelerate and strengthen your learning. But if the sentence is not there, simply trying to learn an isolated grammar rule may not be particularly useful when you actually need to speak or write.

This approach is especially useful for speaking and reading because you learn grammar not as abstract information but within the living language itself. Later, studying the formal rule in a grammar book simply systematizes a pattern that has already begun to form in your mind.”

Semih Uçar, 10 Dilde Devr-i Âlem

Example: Moving from Sentences to Grammar with the Present Perfect

Suppose we want to learn the Present Perfect.

Moving from grammar to sentences would look like this:

First, you learn the rule:

Present Perfect = have/has + V3

Then you try to produce sentences according to that rule:

I have finished my homework.
She has visited London.
We have seen this movie.

Here, your starting point is the grammatical rule.

Moving from sentences to grammar, however, works differently.

First, you encounter natural English sentences:

I have finished my homework.
I have read this book.
She has visited London.
He has learned English.
We have seen this movie before.

You learn these sentences together with their meanings:

I have finished my homework. → Ödevimi bitirdim.
She has visited London. → Londra’yı ziyaret etti.
We have seen this movie before. → Bu filmi daha önce gördük.

Then you begin paying attention to their structure:

I + have + finished
I + have + read
She + has + visited
He + has + learned
We + have + seen

From these examples, your mind begins to recognize a pattern:

“I/we/you/they are used with have, while he/she/it are used with has, followed by the past participle—the third form of the verb.”

This is essentially what it means to move from sentences to grammar.

An even simpler example can be given at beginner level:

I am tired. → Yorgunum.
I am hungry. → Açım.
I am happy. → Mutluyum.
You are tired. → Yorgunsun.
He is tired. → O yorgun.

The learner first becomes familiar with these sentences. Then they begin to notice the pattern:

I → am
You → are
He/She → is

Only afterward does the teacher explain:

“This is what we call the verb ‘to be’ in grammar.”

So, in simple terms, the method looks something like this:

See 20–30 sentences → learn what they mean → notice similar structures → identify the grammar rule → finally systematize the rule.

This does not mean “Do not learn grammar.”

It means:

Do not make grammar, isolated from context, your starting point. Learn through sentences and then use grammar to understand and organize the patterns you have already encountered.

As we can see from this example, Semih Uçar proposes a different methodology for language learning. I used this approach to some extent while studying Russian, and it worked for me.

At the same time, we should be careful not to fall into the trap of thinking that grammar is unimportant. You also do not necessarily have to work with isolated sentences. Simple stories and short texts can be excellent materials for this method.

When trying to understand sentences, it can also be useful to work through the individual words yourself first and try to discover the meaning of the sentence. Whenever you are unsure, getting help can make the learning process more effective.

Note: The example section was prepared with the assistance of artificial intelligence. The article itself, including the discussion based on my quotation from Semih Uçar, was written by me.

Ozan Dur
Historian, Author