Don't let the Tenses Frustrate you

Most Israelis struggle with all of the tenses in the English language. In Hebrew you had past, present, and future, where in English you have 12 tenses (four variations of the past, present, and future) plus the conditional tense. This frustrates a lot of people, as they see the additional 10 tenses as unnecessary and confusing, when actually these tenses just allow you to be more specific.

Here's the thing: you don't have to be super specific, and you don't have to always use the perfect tense for every situation.  I have students tell me all the time that they become confused with the tenses whenever they have to tell a story. I just tell them to keep it simple. You can tell a perfectly good story by using just the simple past. For example:

Yesterday I woke up, showered, and cooked breakfast.  After that I went to to the bank. Then I went to my first two lessons. I taught five students from 2-8:30 pm. After that I went home. 

That was my day yesterday, true, simple, and grammatically correct. Will it win you a Pulitzer Prize or get you on a best seller list? Of course not, but you'll be communicating correctly and directly. When you're starting out with English keep it simple, and when you want to spice things up brush up on your tenses. There's no need to et overwhelmed with all of the tenses when you're a new language learner, as you can perfectly communicate with the simple tenses.

English Grammar: Look at it like Suggestions for Communicating

For those of you new English language learners who are very frustrated with English grammar don't worry because most native speakers can't stand learning and can't properly use grammar.  Sure you should have a great grasp on grammar if you want to be a writer, scholar, or working professional in a country where English is the first language, but if not then don't get hung up on all of the grammar rules.  Some new language learners get so hung up on grammar and following the rules that they give up on communicating.  This is one pitfall that I urge all of my students to avoid.

Sure grammar is great because it organizes language and puts reason behind every small action, but that doesn't mean that you can't play with the language a little.  It also doesn't mean that people won't understand you if you make a few grammar mistakes with you speaking or writing.  For instance, I just made a couple of big no-nos by using two double negatives in consecutive sentences.  Any English teacher, including myself, would tell you that double negatives are a poor use of English grammar, unless of course you're using them as a stylistic choice, or if you want to play with the language.  Play with the language, and have fun with communication, because in the end the most important thing is that you communicate and articulate yourself in an understandable way.

Put yourself in the shoes of a student in today's society.   If someone put an English grammar text book in front of you and told you to complete exercises to improve your English would you be excited? Would you eagerly jump to the task and enjoy every second of it? Of course not.  You might do it because you have to, but you probably wouldn't consider it fun.  The bottom line is this: Grammar is there, and it's not going anywhere, but knowing grammar does not mean that you know how to or have the courage to communicate.  Speak, listen, read, and write.  Grammar can always be learned, corrected and perfected, but you have to start with the courage and desire to communicate.

Why so Little Focus on Speaking?

I have some students who can read, write, and understand English at a relatively high level for a non-native speaker, and what kills me is their near inability to speak. Every parent who hires me to teach their children desires that their children speak English at a high level, which makes a lot of sense considering the practical, real life applications of spoken English.  In  my opinion the education system in Israel doesn't do enough to give students the ability to communicate well in English.  

For example, the English  Bagrut, or test for receiving a high school diploma in Israel consists of reading comprehension questions and a short essay.  I just wonder, in today's workforce, if there is a single job where you have to read a passage, not in your native language, and then answer question about that passage in a certain amount of time.  I can't think of one, which makes me wonder why these exercises are the basis for measuring English language competency in Israel.  I understand that a student has to be able to read, write and comprehend, but if they can't articulate themselves and communicate what does reading and writing matter? 

My big point and concern is that the most desired and important aspect of the English language, speaking, is receiving the least amount of focus in the Israeli education system.  As a private teacher with the aspirations of one day opening my own learning center, I must strive to develop a program that will help people improve their speaking above all other language skills.  It is the most important part of language acquisition, and must be my focus moving forward.  I know that I can work with a student and get them to the point where they are scoring between 95-100 on their exams, but they're still not speaking, which means that I have far greater challenges ahead.  Bring them on; I'm ready for greatness.