Comment by Kuyawa

Things that worked for me:

- sing songs with lyrics and a dictionary at hand (listening and pronunciation)

- get a native speaker girlfriend/boyfriend (slangs and chit chat)

- practice role-playing scenarios like restaurants, movies, cabs, etc. (daily routine)

- finally, read the news and comment with your partner (conversation)

One last tip, always use wikipedia in the language you want to learn (vocabulary)