Understand a language but freeze when you have to speak?

Start smaller than your thought

Answer a familiar question out loud with one claim and one detail: “I take the bus. The station is near my kitchen job.” Say it once more without reading. Then ask a partner to change one part of the question so you have to listen before you reply.

Practice the pause on purpose

Tell the other person you’ll sometimes need a few seconds. When you lose a word, say you’re thinking and describe it with something you know. If you forget “colander,” try “the bowl with holes.” Ask them to wait until the sentence is finished before offering the word.

Afterward, keep the workaround that worked. You can use it again even if you forget the word next time.