Only those who have experienced it would know what it feels like, but there is a noticeable gap between using a language for yourself, and using it to support communication between others.

When you’re learning a new language, I highly recommend trying to translate not only for yourself, but for other people as well. In other words, instead of exclusively focusing on what you want to say, also think about how you would portray the messages of others.

Other people use language that you never would, so this ensures a broader language base to work with, meaning you are exposed to words you otherwise wouldn’t be, while also giving you practice of the language in a realistic setting with usable skills built in.