When we’re learning a new language, we all have to pause and think in the middle of sentences, right?
So, what do you say while you’re pausing? “Ummmmm,” perhaps?
Is that what host people are saying?
Nope.
Listen and observe and see what they say when they’re pausing. In some places in Spanish it’s “este,” where I lived in France it was “euh.”
Once you’ve noticed what host people say, say that! It’s amazing how much more native-like you’ll sound, immediately!
So, how do people fill in pauses in your new language?