Does a lack of textbook English knowledge hinder learning Spanish?
Mi lengua materna es ingles. Estoy aprendiendo español pero soy un principiante. Creo que hablo y escribo ingles muy bien, la mayor parte del tiempo, porque es importante a mi. Pero, yo no se la reglas de gramatica de ingles. Por ejemplo, no puedo definir "a past participle" o diagrama una frase. Yo sé ingles intuitivamente. ¿Es una carencia del conocimiento de ingles librios de texto obstaculiza el aprendizaje de español?
My native language is English. I am learning Spanish but am a beginner. I think that I speak and write English very well, most of the time, because it is important to me to be able to do so. But I don't know the rules of English grammar. For example, I can't define a past participle or diagram a sentence. I know English intuitively. Does a lack of textbook English knowledge hinder learning Spanish? There have been a few times when I had to look up a rule for English grammar to be able to understand the corresponding rule in Spanish. Has anyone else encountered this and does it become a greater issue as one advances in Spanish lessons?
Thank you for your opinions. Any corrections to my grammar / spelling appreciated. I couldn't find this topic through a forum search. If it has already been addressed, would you please provide me the link?
13 Answers
Although English and Spanish are not closely related languages (the former Germanic and the latter Romance), they are both Indo-European and, thus, have a common heritage (more obvious in the grammar than in the vocabulary). Additionally, English grammar was traditionally taught using Latin grammar as a role model Largely because early grammarians held Latin to be the more "elegant" language). Most of the grammatical constructs in Spanish that give English speakers so much trouble, in fact, have their parallels in English (although often in more literary/formal English).
This does not mean that you should say to yourself, "I'll put off trying to learn Spanish for a year in order to first study English grammar." However, it does mean that there is benefit to the "carryover" (in general, the more language experience you have, the better equipped you are to undertake a new language). While there may be more than "one way to skin a cat", there are not an infinite number of ways and, frequently, different languages solve similar problems in similar ways (the trick is not to assume that they should/will always solve them in the same way).
I would suggest that when you encounter a grammatical construction in Spanish that give you trouble, try to find some material (on the web) that discusses the same/similar construction in English. In many cases you will find such articles and the fact that the examples and explanations are more familiar (being in English) may make them easier to understand. Your goal being to separate the general problem from it's specific application/manifestation in Spanish.
I can also say that I don't really know the grammar rules in english. But I can say that I have learned more about my native language because I started learning spanish. Maybe one day I will be good at both but until then, I will continue to learn and work on what I know.
Children do not know textbook english and can speak spanish fluently.
In the beginning I really do not think it matters whether you know all the grammar rules or not. You will slowly learn from your mistakes as such a child does. Eventually to obtain maximum fluency you will need to learn the 'rules' and whatnot, but in the beginning I do not believe it is necessary.
It depends on how you plan on learning spanish.
I think that if you are learning "textbook" spanish it will make it much easier if you have a basic understanding of "textbook" english.
If you are learning spanish by total immersion (that's how you learned your native language) then you don't really need any textbook knowledge. but total immersion is very impractical for most people.
Have to say... nothing is impossible.
I have almost no knowledge of the grammar rules in my native language (dutch). I have never learned English with any grammar rules (besides for some basics). Learned it all from TV, friends, books, etc...
Now i am trying to learn Spanish based on the English language and rules. And yes it is hard if you don't have much knowledge of the grammar rules...
But...!
It is possible 
And like Joey-Jones said: "I can say that I have learned more about English because I started learning spanish"
so I am 100% sure that if English is your native language, with a few grammar searches on the internet you can learn spanish very well 
There are various approaches to language learning. Some will work for you without knowledge of English grammar, and some will not. I don't advocate the lack of English grammar, but the more your learning of Spanish steers you away from English, the more fluency of Spanish will be gained due to not constantly comparing the two languages, but rather simply accepting that another language is spoken the way it is spoken - period. Of course, the best way to take on another language is to take up residence in a country of that language. In this manner, you will encounter very little "interference" from your native language.
I think it can definitely hinder you in learning Spanish or any other language for that matter. The more you know about your native language the more reference points you will have between it and the language you are trying to learn. One of the many great things about learning a new language is it forces you to review concepts of your original language and therefore improve it. Recuerde, poco a poco se anda lejos.
No, al aprender inglés yo nunca hacía caso a las reglas. Ahora puedo escribir ensayos o sea proyectos muy bien hasta que dice mi jefita.
The short sample of Spanish in your question shows that you're probably not going to have much trouble.
There are a lot of grammar rules to learn at first, and having a foundation of similar English grammar rules makes things easier, but is not required. As you advance in your Spanish learning, I think you'll find that you're learning fewer rules and more exceptions and applications. As others have said, don't get discouraged. You're off to a great start and will do fine.
Well I've stated it a couple of times here. English grammar almost ruined me in school but I'm learning Spanish well with the help of the people on this site. It is a bit difficult when someone answers a simple question with one rule after another but others usually come along and clear up any problems I may have in understanding. I'm like you Alice, I have a hard time remembering the difference between a preterite and a subjunctive and as far as diagraming an English sentence, hehehe! Not a chance. 
Alice,
I would imagine that a lack of English would hinder learning
Spanish if those are the only two languages you know. Of course, I can't think of a single person that can speak English perfectly... it's one of the most difficult languages known to mankind! The unfortunate thing about English to Spanish and vice versa is that the two languages do not relate very much. From conjugations to sentences structure, etc. BUT DO NOT LET THIS DISCOURAGE YOU. Think of it as if.... as if you were a little school girl in Canada and you learn two COMPLETELY different languages at once(that's the best I can think of). According to your question alone, I would say that you have a great understanding of English already, and that Spanish could be very easy for you. Once again, do not be discouraged; instead, have faith in yourself. The human mind has no limits [reasonably, of course].
-nrdyAWSM
Great post! I do struggle with Spanish too - mostly because I do not remember English grammar rules; therefore, I tend to make learning Spanish harder than what it really is. If I use common sense and what I do know about the English language, speaking/writing Spanish makes more sense and comes more quickly to my mind. Other helpful ideas are to review the Lesson videos ("Watch" section of each lesson), practice with others whom speak Spanish, and talk to the TV in Spanish - I changed the setting on my TV and cell phone to Spanish. :0) hang in there.
Thanks to all for the opinions. English grammar never seemed to be emphasized or taught well in in the school district and college I attended. English class consisted of reading novels, which I love to do, and writing essays but no dedicated instruction on the rules of grammar. Unfortunately, lack of grammar instruction seems to be the norm these days as teachers and schools "teach to the test." As suggested above, I am in the habit of looking up the rules for English whenever I encounter something in Spanish that is causing me trouble. When Nicole had her post on writing in the subjunctive, I looked that up and realized that I knew how to use it but without knowing it was called the subjunctive! And as others mentioned, another benefit to learning Spanish is improving my knowledge of English grammar rules. Thanks.
