This study on adult second language learners’ problems with referent introductions explores references by native and non-native speakers in a film retelling task, and on top examines interlocutors’ reference interpretations via incited recall interviews, thereby telling which introductions were misconveyed. It is argued that, even for fairly skilled second language speakers, introductions present a considerably bigger communicative and acquisitional dare than formerly mentioned, exemplified by miscommunications prompted by lack of explicitness. The results point out theoretical issues in interlanguage pragmatics and the methodological and pedagogical worth of exploring interpretations of learner speech.