Learning

For me when learning a new language it is only one thing that counts. Vocabulary, vocabulary, vocabulary (just as when buying property, when it's location, location, location that is important). If you don't have the vocabulary you cannot speak. Forget the grammatics to start with. That'll come automatically later, when you have started to have conversations in a foreign language. Then you will hear what sounds right, instead of learning the grammatics.

Besides, in German there are too many exceptions to each rule, so it's impossible to learn it anyway. If you have to stop and think before saying something, there won't be much said, will it?

PS. Even though ze German/Swiss are stickler for rules, they do accept that you get it wrong once in a while :)