Hey! I really know what you are talking about - I get nervous, too, when I have to speak in a foreign language. Everyone are afraid to make mistakes and fail but that's just a part of the learning process - you have to just do it and not let the nervousness take over. So yes, it is a common problem so nothing to worry about! :) Here are some tips I thought of: 1 - Watch videos and tv shows etc. in English: I just finished watching 10 seasons of Supernatural with only the English subtitles on (mostly because the Finnish subtitles are not the best) but I think this might help you too! I watch a lot of YouTube, too, and most of them speak in English. 2 - Read things out loud: every time you see an Insta post or a Facebook status or something written in English, read it out loud. This has helped me with my Korean pronunciation and reading. 3 - Talk, talk, talk: well, the solution to your problem IS the problem itself. Find someone you can talk with in English comfortably and proceed from there to more uncomfortable situations. It gets easier!

Please know that whenever I hear a foreigner speak English (and honestly it's very easy to tell, no matter how good their accent is) I truly love it. They worked hard to learn the language! If you want help with pronunciation, explain that to your native English friends, ask them to help you one word at a time, you'll get the hang of it :)

We all make mistakes when we try to speak a foreign language. It doesn’t matter. Just do it anyway. I live in Sweden at the moment and my Swedish is not very good. A couple of days ago I chatted a bit with a neighbour on the street and she said the caretaker of the building we live in is terrific. “Yes, he is so handsome I said”. “And he is very nice”, the neighbour replied. I had mistaken the word for “nice” with the word for “handsome”. I felt a little silly afterwards, but it hasn’t caused lasting damage to my ego and now I probably won’t make that mistake again. A piece of advice: Try not to mumble when you speak a foreign language. When people feel shy and awkward they sometimes unconsciously lower their voice to an almost imperceptible whisper. Even if your pronunciation is perfect people won’t understand you if they can’t hear what you’re saying. Good luck with it! Fortune favours the bold! (a proverb, meaning “courageous action is often rewarded”)

Talk! :-) If you like, you can practice with me. The more you practice, the more confident you will get.

I agree with everyone who says that you just have to face your fears and nervousness and try talking! If it's too scary to talk to a stranger, maybe you should consider trying to find a language exchange partner or a teacher/tutor on italki. That way you can practice with someone who will have patience and who wants to help you improve your English. Good luck! You can do it! :)