Englisch

 tentative

/ˈtentətɪv/
adjective

unsure; uncertain; not done with confidence

The day in New York I phoned my mother in North Carolina to tell her I was moving to Germany I was very nervous, because I had promised her I wouldn’t move out of the country again and I knew she would be upset. “Hi, Mom. I have some news….” I started, unsure of how to continue. “Yes?” she replied, already curious. “I….uh….well….” I stammered, tripping over my words until she interrupted me with a small laugh. “Relax” she said, “I can already tell by how tentative you’re being that it’s something I don’t want to hear. Spit it out!”. This made me laugh and it broke the ice a bit. And eventually, she was happy for me!