Don’t get us wrong; grammar is important! But when you first start learning a language, you should focus on acquiring vocabulary. Because sometimes, just knowing a single word in a language can make all the difference. In his book Vocabulary Myths, Keith Folse tells a story about not knowing the right word.

Having just moved to a rural town in Japan to teach English, Folse wanted to buy some flour. He’d learned the Japanese sentence pattern “Sumimasen, ____ -wa doko desu ka?” or “Excuse me, where is the ____?” and confidently set out on his mission to the local supermarket.

Yet, even with this basic grammar, he was lacking the necessary knowledge: he did not know the word for flour. After wandering the store unable to locate any identifiable bags of flour, he spied one of his students outside. He ran outside and called out, “How do you say flour in Japanese?” Unfortunately his student replied “Hana” – the word for flower, instead of komugi—the word for flour.

After being presented with chrysanthemums in the produce section, Folse left the store without purchasing flour. He reflects: “What I needed in that situation was one word: komugi. In this experience, I learned that vocabulary is actually more important than grammar.”