In learning Latin, you should not be afraid of a little memorization. I have the feeling like some people think that they might as well not bother with Latin in the liturgy until they have a thorough theoretical command of Latin grammar. If this is your attitude, you will probably never start, because you will get bogged down trying to memorize dry charts from textbooks.
But that wasn't the way you learned English, was it? You didn't sit down with books and learn the rules of English grammar, then try to fit words into the system, did you? If so, you were a most unusual child. I'll bet that what you did was you listened to how people (such as your parents, or people on tv) used a word or phrase, memorized it, and then used it yourself when you were in a similar situation. So why not learn Latin that way?
But, you may object, that worked for English because as a child I didn't have any self-image problems being humble and operating on a simple level. Think about that for a second and get back to me. But, you may object, that worked for English because I was constantly exposed to English and opportunities to learn these phrases; I'll never learn as much Latin that way as I did English. I reply that while that may be true, you don't have to have as comprehensive a knowledge of Latin as you do English. You don't have to be prepared to chat about the weather in Latin. You only have to acquire a very circumscribed vocabulary for one situation where you always know exactly what is going to happen and what needs to be said. So it balances out.
Anyway, the reason I'm suggesting this is that it seems to work ok for me. I memorized the rosary prayers before I learned any Latin grammar formally, and besides the devotional benefit, they served as a sort of a beachhead to understanding the language. Besides, the Catechism says you should at least be able to say your basic prayers in Latin. So when I just tell you what something means without worrying about the grammar, think about it in this light.
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