Let me simplify French conversations into two goals that reduce stress instantly: - Make yourself understood (se faire comprendre). - Understand enough (comprendre assez) to answer accurately. That’s it. You don’t need every word; you need the meaning that moves the dialogue forward. When you adopt these goals, you stop freezing for the “perfect” verb and use the tools you already have—paraphrasing, asking for time, confirming what you heard. This is how real-life fluency grows: through momentum