Studying a foreign language combines three types of knowledge: 

• Words and phrases you know through repeated exposure and use, supported by self-testing and communication practice. 

• Technical grammar concepts you learn to understand through discussion and analysis. 

• Phonics — the way words sound and how we represent them in writing. 

The four skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing all play a part; developing fluency in each one involves a different set of connected activities.