I learned English from someone who doesn’t speak it perfectly

I’m a software engineer in Ho Chi Minh City, and Lukas, a German native, is a coffee shop owner. We both have good English reading comprehension but “freeze up” whenever we have to speak. We found each other in a speaking practice group on OVFRIENDS, but instead of looking for native speakers, we decided to become “partners in making mistakes.” Every day, we sent each other short audio recordings, using grammatically incorrect English and awkward phrasing. There was no judgment, only laughter and encouragement. Gradually, we became more confident.

Last week, I was able to confidently present my ideas to my foreign boss. Lukas also proudly shared that he could now chat with tourists. We’ve never spoken perfect English, but we found perfection in a sincere friendship.