The purpose of this paper was to do an investigation where I would investigate how second language learners in ninth grade deploy different strategies to make themselves understood when they are unable to find the correct word or expression in spoken interaction in a foreign language. I also wanted to see whether the strategies contributed to their ability to interact or not. To obtain the material for the investigation I listened to tape recordings of ninth grade students in secondary school. The results show that the students deployed 14 different strategies to overcome the problems of not knowing the correct word. They borrowed words and expressions from their first language and avoided or abandoned words and topics. Questions and explanations of the words also helped the learners when they ended up in situations where the interaction failed and they did not know the correct words. The students also used two strategies that were not previously mentioned by linguists. The first one was using Swedish words and expressions and making them sound English (SwEnglish), and the second one was asking questions without expecting or wanting an answer. Even though not all of the strategies were used with success, since some were used as a way to abandon the retelling and avoid speaking of parts of the story, most of the strategies worked as a good help to the students who used them for maintain the interaction. Further, by mastering these strategies, learners do not need to know every word they might want to use in order to have a successful interaction with a native speaker. And my investigation shows that even if some of the strategies would not have worked if they had been used in interaction with a native speaker, the students in ninth grade do deploy strategies to make themselves understood in interaction in a foreign language.