Is Grammar Unnecessary?

This might sound like music to many ears: learning Russian without grammar. Is this a case of ‘too good to be true,’ or is it really possible? The advice of Benjamin Rich (Bald and Bankrupt on YouTube) is clear. Forget grammar. In fact, (from the description under the video embedded here), ‘throw away the grammar books and you’ll make massive progress very quickly.’

Vocabulary first

Being a vlogger, Bankrupt (or Rich) exaggerates a bit, of course. Still, he manages to get by in all Russian-speaking countries. And when there are language problems: ‘Every single time I’ve been misunderstood, has been because either I didn’t know the Russian word, or I didn’t understand the Russian word that they were using. It’s been a lack of vocabulary – that’s what’s always caused the problem. Grammar has never been an issue.’

So maybe the lesson is not that grammar is unimportant, but that vocabulary is even more important. But watch for yourself.

Do Not Study Russian Grammar

(Bald and Bankrupt, 2018, 4 mins)

With NFKRZ

The topic also comes up in a conversation (in Russian, of course) between Bald and Bankrupt and Roman Abalin (NFKRZ). The Brit makes himself understood and proves his point in Speaking Russian with Bald and Bankrupt (NFKRZ, 2019, 17 mins).

And if grammar is no longer necessary, you might as well check out more of their casual chats, like Drinking Vodka (2019, 27 mins) and Russian Hood Adventures (2019, 27 mins), both from NFKRZ. There’s also a portrait video: Bald and Bankrupt: The Fearless Brit Exploring Russia (NFKRZ, 2019, 14 mins).

More about less

More about learning (no, or less, or later) grammar in the videos below.

Is Grammar Really That Important?
(Be Fluent in Russian, 2019, 4 mins)

From the same channel and related: Is Grammar More Important than Vocabulary? (2019, 46 mins) and Why You Should Learn Russian Cases Last (2019, 7 mins).

How to Learn Russian Without Grammar
(Russian With Max, 2018, 12 mins)

More about Russian without grammar

• Is grammar really that important in Russian? Interview with Steve Kaufmann (Anna Cher, 2020, 19 mins)
• Why Do We Need Grammar? (Russian from Russia, 2016, 2 mins); from the same channel, answers to the questions When? (2016, 6 mins) and How Many? (2016, 12 mins, much would have been fine too)
• How To Learn Russian: 7 Axioms for Highly Efficient Russian Language Learning (Learning To Know Russian, 2016, 8 mins). From Dennis Ivanov also: How to learn Russian Grammar Effectively? (2014, 12 mins) and How to Learn and Remember Russian Words (2014, 13 mins).

Check out/read What every student of Russian should know (Russia Beyond, 2020), where number 1 is: ‘Forget about grammar – learn the words.’

last update 18-12-2020