language barrier

I had Chinese lessons when I was younger, but stopped due to school commitments.  So a lot of it thereafter was self taught, and I learnt to work out what people were saying through context.  I am not sure how other people learn languages but for me, Chinese was always a bit different because I don't need to think about what my parents are saying to me.  When they say, for example, "go and move your car, it's blocking the back door and I need to get access to the gate but make sure you don't park it too near a wall otherwise you'll scratch the paint", I don't (feel like I) stand there and think, "what was that?  So this word means this, this word means this...".  It feels like second nature to me and I don't need any time to process its meaning.  I am not boasting about my linguistic abilities, far from it!, as a lot of what I know was worked out myself through context.


So it therefore makes the tiniest bit of sense when I say I like context to a conversation opener which someone has sprung on me.  Some people go x, y, z about a certain topic, then I'm there reeling through my mental rolodex thinking about things connected to x, y and z.  Sometimes it's appropriate to have context, y'know?  Like, "do you know about... did you hear about...." and THEN start with your line.  That's why I go "Context!  Context?" ... because it benefits both parties concerned.  Right?