darkweasel:For getting back to the topic: It's similar in German, barely anyone obeys all the grammar rules. One author (Bastian Sick) even wrote some books about common errors, like using main clause word order after weil (= because), overuse of the preposition wo (= where), overuse of English-like style, and so on. Everyone who has trouble learning German should read these books and find out that we don't always obey all these strange rules either.

I think the fact that Bastian Sick has managed to write FOUR bestselling books on the oddities of modern German speaks shows that this subject is interesting to the population at large. I've often used examples from his books to show that Germans have the same types of issues English-speakers do.

andogigi:As far as English goes, I wouldn't lose a lot of sleep over it. The great mass of people in the US and abroad tend to misuse our language in sundry and creative ways. A slip of the tongue here and there will probably be missed by most people.

I mention this because you simply can't be self-conscious when you learn a new language. The simple fact of the matter is that you are going to make mistakes. It is best to make friends with that fact, accept it, embrace it, and not shy away from it. Too many people are so afraid of making a mistake in their new language that they never use it. Because of this, they never improve. They fall into a vicious cycle which ends with them throwing their hands in the air in disgust.

In short, just start telling yourself that it really doesn't matter.

Rule 1) Don't sweat the small stuff.
Rule 2) Realize that it's all small stuff.

Don't feel bad you will usually do better at your second language

Personally, I love the "messiness" of English. I prefer to think of it as flexibility. Yes, it makes it harder to learn but of all the languages I speak, I find it the best for putting complex and abstract thoughts across. I find it's a lot easier to make up words in English that make sense even if they're not "real words" but convey both meaning and a different nuance from what already exists. I also find it can convey a lot of meaning in relatively short words and sentences. I love it and it's not my native tongue. I love it enough, in fact, that I studied it in Uni and then moved to England and I write in it. But I can see how it is frustrating for people who are trying to learn the language, the flexibility only becomes a 'pro' once you're comfortable enough that you can play with the language yourself.

But for international communication, I think Esperanto is definitely unmatched. Its greatest strength being the inflexibility of the grammar rules, its regularity.