PAUSE, REWIND, or FAST-FORWARD

If only life had the same buttons as what we find on the VCR, it would be a bit easier, I believe. My French is not yet to the point where I actually think in French so everything requires at least 3 steps:
1. hear French
2. engage brain
3. translate to English for comprehension

Reading is not too bad… I got all the time in the world (sort of) and I can also go back and reread if necessary – so it’s not much of a problem. But in conversation, it’s a real big problem. That is exactly why I need those buttons. Here is how it would work:
1. someone speaks to me ... Blaaahe’ Blaaahe’ Blaaahe’
2. if I don’t get it, my mind goes to work....
.....did they say blaaahe’ blaaah eblaaahe’ or
.....did they say blaaah e’blaaae’ blaaahe’

Well, for example …..
Did they just say....
c'est la plus belle (it’s the most beautiful) or
Did they just say....
c'est la poubelle (it’s the trashcan)
See what I mean??? Big difference.

So if I don’t exactly know, it would be convenient to press the REWIND/PLAYBACK button. Sometimes, I guess that the look on my face (in effect) “presses the button” because someone will usually repeat… or else they will make it even more complicated by saying the same thing using different words – I hate when that happens because it starts the process all over again!

Anyway, once I understand what is said to me, the PAUSE button would help as I am standing there looking like a deer caught in the headlights. What they don’t know is that – despite the look on my face – my brain is racing at warp speed.

It works like this…. OK, translate into English … comprehend… try to figure out (in English) the proper response that answers correctly …. translate that into French…. check the grammer…(aaaah! masculine? feminine? singular? plural? etc. etc.) … then spit it out.

All the while… I am standing there with the deer-in-the-headlights-stare… and it would be nice to have used the PAUSE button.