How Much for Conversation?

Hi, all,

Here's a question for people on the list who have achieved fluency in one or
more second natural languages.

All other things being equal (mastery of correct spoken grammar, correct
pronunciation, etc.), about how many words (or contentive morphemes) do you
have to know before you feel comfortable using a target language for
everyday conversation?

I'm not looking for an exact figure, of course.  But can you name a ballpark
figure, a rough estimate by the thousand?

Thanks,

Jim

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