As it is not necessary to know the language to gain insights into the culture of the people who speak it, this can serve as a great starting point. To immerse oneself in the language and comprehend the people who speak it better, it is crucial to prioritize certain things.

• Greetings and social customs: Study the common greetings and social customs of the culture, such as how they address others, and what is considered polite or impolite behavior.
• Nonverbal communication: Observe the nonverbal communication patterns in the culture, such as eye contact, gestures, and body language, and learn how they are used in different situations.
• Social norms: Learn about the social norms of the culture, including the role of personal space, appropriate dress, and table manners.
• Values and beliefs: Study the values and beliefs of the culture, such as attitudes towards time, the importance of family, and views on individualism and collectivism.
• Festivals and holidays: Familiarize yourself with the main festivals and holidays celebrated in the culture, as well as their significance and cultural meaning today.
• Art and literature: Learn about the history of media and what is significant today. What are the biggest influences on the TL's cultural and pop media?

Grammar serves as the fundamental building block of every language. While one can passively absorb numerous grammar rules by watching TV, listening to music, or conversing with friends, there are certain essential aspects that one must grasp to gain a headstart with any language. Understanding how these rules influence the meaning of what is being said is crucial.

1. Basic sentence structure: Familiarize yourself with the basic word order and sentence structure of the TL, including subject-verb-object (SVO) and subject-verb-subject (SVS) sentence structures.
2. Nouns and articles: Learn the basic rules for using nouns and articles in the TL, such as gender and number agreement, as well as the use of definite and indefinite articles.
3. Verbs: Study the conjugation of regular and irregular verbs, including the present tense, past tense, and future tense, as well as common verb phrases and idiomatic expressions.
4. Adjectives and adverbs: Learn the basic rules for using adjectives and adverbs, including agreement with the nouns and verbs they modify, as well as word order in sentences.
5. Pronouns: Study the different types of pronouns used in the TL, including personal, possessive, and reflexive pronouns, and learn how they are used in different contexts.
6. Negation: Learn the basic rules for negating sentences in the target language, including the use of negative particles and negative verb conjugations.
7. Conjugation: Study the conjugation of verbs in different tenses, moods, and aspects, including the present tense, past tense, future tense, subjunctive mood, and perfect aspect.
8. Simple questions and answers: Learn the basic rules for asking and answering simple questions in the TL, including the use of question words and question tags.

While learning a language's grammar is important, it's essential to familiarize yourself with its vocabulary. Make sure you understand the context of the words you come across and practice speaking them out loud. You can do this in the presence of a native speaker or by closely mimicking their pronunciation. In addition to grammatical words, there are many everyday words that vary from person to person, depending on their profession or background. For instance, a chef's vocabulary differs from that of a software engineer. Therefore, it's crucial to identify your target audience and compile a list of words that are relevant to your needs and interests. I recommend creating a list of words that feel natural for you to use and practice saying them regularly. Below I've compiled a few categories that I think are essential, pick the most common of each and practice them repeatedly:

+Essential Vocabulary Categories

This is a skill that I neglected for a long time. I would be afraid to make mistakes and because of that fear I would focus more on what I was saying or what I prepared to say than what was being said by other people. If you focus on what the other person is saying, responding can feel much more natural and if you make errors, they can help correct them.

By the end of the grammar section you should have a decent idea of how sentences and phrases are constructed in your TL, and by the end of the vocab section you should have enough at your disposal to begin constructing sentences yourself, if you haven't already. I usually do this by making a list of things I might say in my NL and then translating them to the TL.