I've found a similar logic applies to language learning. There's plenty of advice out there dismissing book / flashcard learning and saying you just need to get

I've found a similar logic applies to language learning. There's plenty of advice out there dismissing book / flashcard learning and saying you just need to get out and practice speaking with natives. In reality, you can't understand someone or form a sentence in reply if you don't know any of the words. Memorising thousands of words / phrases might not make you fluent but it's an important first step. When you're confronted by a real situation you'll now be able, with a lot of struggling, to put together a vaguely correct sentence. Eventually it will come naturally.