Age doesn’t block learning order: follow natural grammar stages
In 1972, linguist Stephen Krashen uncovered a remarkable truth: both children and adult learners acquire grammar in the same fixed order. English kids go from “doggie run” to “doggie running,” then to “dogs run,” and finally to “he runs.” Adult learners—whether in a classroom or immersion—follow that exact sequence, regardless of their native tongue or teaching method. No amount of rote drilling of “he runs” will let you skip directly to the last stage; your internal language machine, honed by childhood, insists on the same developmental journey.
My own journey confirms this theory. When I began German, I spent hours memorizing third-person verb endings but couldn’t use them in speech. My sentences tumbled out as “Er lauf gestern” (He run yesterday). It wasn’t until I immersed myself in present-progressive constructions (“Ich laufe” → “I am running”) that my brain unlocked the next tier: plural nouns and irregular verbs. Only then did “Er lief” emerge naturally.
Understanding and respecting this built-in order is liberating. Rather than fighting my own mental wiring—drilling the hardest rules first—I can align my studies with each upcoming stage. I gather comprehensible input for that exact stage, feed it into my SRS, and let my machine do the rest. Fluency becomes not a sprint through every rule, but a marathon paced by your brain’s natural rhythm.
Jot down five sentences you speak naturally—ones you don’t have to think about. Compare them to the known sequence of grammar development in English to see which construction is missing. Then find example sentences just at that next stage in your textbook or on Google Images. Feed those into your flash cards and practice only those constructions until they feel automatic. Trust your brain’s developmental order, and you’ll find that fluency arrives sooner than you expected.
What You'll Achieve
You’ll align your study plan with your brain’s innate sequence for grammar mastery, avoiding frustration and building lasting fluency in the most efficient order.
Accept your brain’s developmental sequence
List your spontaneous sentence patterns
Record five phrases you use without thinking—he running, she eat—so you can see where you are in your natural sequence of grammar mastery.
Match to developmental stages
Compare your spontaneous patterns to the known child-and-adult sequence—present participle, irregular past, auxiliary verbs—so you know your brain’s next target.
Target next stage with input
Deliberately study example sentences that feature your next missing grammar form (e.g., third-person present tense) until they become comprehensible input.
Trust the process
Avoid forcing late-stage constructions before you’re ready; let your internal language machine unfold at its own pace for lasting fluency.
Reflection Questions
- Which grammar patterns do you use effortlessly, and which still feel forced?
- How can you map your current speech to the known developmental stages?
- What example sentences could you collect to target your next missing pattern?
- How will trusting your brain’s order change your study approach?
- What impatience or worry might derail you from following the sequence, and how can you stay patient?
Personalization Tips
- Business: Notice you say “He working” instead of “He works,” then focus on third-person present tense in your next grammar session.
- Health: Realize “I walk yesterday” shows irregular past tense missing, so study minimal pairs like go/went and eat/ate.
- Travel: Discover you can shadow “How you go?” but not “How do you go?”—target auxiliary verbs next.
Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It
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