わかりました! どうもありがとうございます!
Now you’re ready for the most advanced topic! When do you use でござる？
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When you’re talking to a samurai.
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In all seriousness though, I do prefer it when cashiers say でございます instead of になります (which I guess is “manual keigo” when used to mean です, but you do hear it all the time)
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Out of curiosity, where did you hear this? So far, the only time I’ve heard ござる used was in an old-timey ninja performance held at Nagoya Castle. I asked my host mother and she replied with 「昔々のことです」, I’m not sure modern Japanese use it, but someone can correct me if I’m wrong.
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It’s used in formal business interaction, usually only when introducing something in an official manner, and when representing a company or institution. You’ll hear some people use it when stating the name of their business/institution when taking a phone call from an outside line, for example.
It might also be used to introduce an item, topic, etc. in a meeting, as a friendly manner of extra formal speech.
In most cases it’s not an expectation, but it can and is regularly used in situations like that, depending on the speaker’s preference.
Re: thread: Just stick to です/ます until you have indication to do otherwise. That level of language is neutrally polite.
Edit – Never mind if you were just talking about the plain-form でござる and not でございます, because that actually is never used except as a “ye olden times” inflection. Didn’t read far enough up.
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Haha, I was like “wait, what really??”
I thought you must really interact with Japanese old family nobility if you heard people actually using でござる seriously! XD
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My friends always tell me to stop using polite speech when I talk too, but I don’t usually speak much, unless at work, so I guess I just need to practice more casual speech with them. Sometimes I ask them how to say something difficult, and they always give me the casual version. And I’m like nonono it isn’t towards you it is to this other higher up person I can’t say that kind of thing to, haha.
It is confusing! But keep making mistakes, it helps you to learn. Practice makes perfect, right? 
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To be fair, it’s literally an ambiguous question (which is why I said something about でございます) but we also know what you meant when you said it.
Like, if someone asked you “how do you use ある” you wouldn’t necessarily think they mean “how do you use ある when it’s in the plain form” unless you had been contrasting it with あります or something.
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I see what you mean, since でございます is in wide use in the service industry. Yes, I was strictly thinking でござる only when I mentioned it, which is what you use if you are a samurai.
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I think my friends understood by now that I use polite speech because it’s kinda the only speech I know how to use lol. But they do speak to me casually. The same happens to me when I ask them how to say something lol. And then they tell me “but you shouldn’t speak like that to 90% of Japanese” 
Yep! Practice makes perfect!
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I started with polite japanese too but it evolved into more casual style over the years. Now, I struggle with becoming more polite again but not that much.
I think everyone will adjust their way of speaking automatically over time. No need to stress about it. Learning grammatically correct ways to say things helps a ton, but only actually interacting, in any language you are learning, with natives will teach how it is effectively used in everyday situations between various types of people. I can’t for the life of me e.g. drop the kansai accent because it was how I got started with Japanese, but it’s also a conversation starter with new people.
I used to worry about how to speak correctly but I was just scared to make mistakes. Not anymore. Speak your language. Rest will come later.
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Thank you for your answer!! (and sorry for replying so late, I was really busy these last couple of months…)
I decided to give up stressing on it, and just follow how my language partners speak! And if I’m the first one to speak in Japanese to them and they’re like 5+ years older than me, then I go to a bit of a more polite style. Better too polite than too casual, no?
Having a kansai accent is cool though! At least I like it haha.
And thank you so much for the advice! I guess that like you, I’m just scared of making mistakes, but the way to overcome it is to actually speak I guess 
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