Accepting Imperfection
I know many examples of people who learned my native language German. One example is a former classmate of mine who came from Russia. She learned German while living in Germany mostly by talking to native speakers. Then there is a historian who often speaks in documentaries and describes historical events. These two, as well as many other people, are 100% fluent. They can talk about almost everything without a problem. As a native speaker, I think they speak excellent German. Did I confuse them with a native speaker? No. Maybe for a second, but the longer I listened I always noticed things that are not native-like. Maybe there are people who always sound like a native, but all examples I know are not perfect. Is perfection necessary? Does perfection even matter? Definetely not. I mean, if you are someone who thinks that you need to reach native-level and that no mistakes are allowed, try to change the perspective. Look for examples of people who speak your native language very well. P