Communication Frustration

I've discovered recently: once you* begin learning a language and you are stuck somewhere between first-day-of-class novice and nearly flawless fluency, communication is a hot, sticky mess.

Sure, you're happy when you understand what people are saying. You pick up on colloquialisms and try them out on your friends, who are in the same position as you--eager to learn, dying to be understood. You write it down in your notebook when you get home, promising yourself that you will look at it again and again until it becomes as second-nature as Ich liebe dich.

Ganz einfach. Only not.

You begin talking to native speakers, you settle comfortably into the conversation, and suddenly words are bouncing off the tip of your tongue like little frogs. You're rolling now, it's like you're speaking in tongues--but for real! People can understand you! Aber du sprichst sehr gut deutsch!

Then, your brain pulls a fast one. What is that word? How do you say "hole" auf deutsch? I think it's Lauch...or is that "leeks"? What about Lücke? But isn't that "gap"? You mean it isn't the same thing? What was I talking about?

And it's gone. The German is no longer quite as impressed as she was when you were going on and on about how strange you find German banks. You've lost her; she's speaking English now.

*It's probably just me.