Read for fun
Begin with easy books like children’s books and move on to more challenging materials like newspapers and novels. Don’t start with the difficult stuff, you’ll get disappointed and give up long before you get better.
Limit Dictionary Use
If possible, read without using a dictionary. If you can’t read without a dictionary, don’t use it until you’ve finished the section or chapter.
Listen to Podcasts
You get to pick which shows you listen to, which means you can choose shows that match your interests. If you’re listening to a show that’s talking about something you’re interested in, you’re more likely to understand it, and much more likely to enjoy it. Most podcast players will let you adjust the listening speed and replay sections. This will help you understand what’s going on more easily.
Watch Shows in English
If you’re having trouble understanding, try watching with subtitles or dubbed versions and then practice listening in English by watching it again..
Take Every Opportunity to Talk to Foreigners
Use Facebook, or meetups, anything that will get you time to talk with someone about something other than textbook topics. It’s the only way to improve your skills and discover that most people are more interested in what you have to say than in how you’re saying it.
Extensive reading and Reading for Pleasure do a lot to help you expand not just your reading skills, but your comprehension, grammar, vocabulary, writing, and speaking skills as well. When you read a lot, you internalise the language which helps you across the board.
Depending on a dictionary, while great in a pinch, can severely limit your progress if you’re aiming at fluency.
Podcasts are great for improving your listening skills. You get to choose the topic and choose the playback speed. It’s also listen on demand which is the best sort there is.
I’m pretty sure I’ve said this before, but, if you want to improve quickly, switch as much of the media you consume as you can into your target language.
This one should go without saying, but, I said it anyway. If you want to learn to communicate, you need to talk to people.
