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1. Immerse yourself
--Immerse yourself with the locals, their music, culture, media, politics, sports, family, etc.

2. Forget translating: think like a baby!
--Copy these expressions and sounds just like a baby would.

3. How do you say?
--Besides common greetings, the one phrase you should memorize and always have at the ready is the phrase is “How do you say that / what is that called?”

4. Write it
--After having conversations, jot down the things you remembered hearing but didn’t quite understand.

5. Use cognates and draw links
--Ever noticed how some words appear exactly the same across various languages? These are called “cognates.” Unlocking the usage of cognates instantly gives you several hundred more words to your vocabulary.

6. Local TV, movies, music
--Watch movies, listen to music, sing songs, and browse newspapers and magazines.

7. Non-verbal cues
--Beyond words, observe locals when they talk. Be it the Gaelic shrug or a slight tilt of the head, combining body language with a new tongue helps you communicate better.

8. Get emotional!
--Emotive experiences often etch impressions onto our memory. Make full use of embarrassing / funny / angry experiences by linking them to the new language.

9. A world of friends / then going solo.
--While individual classes can be highly beneficial for unsurpassed attention, group classes with friends can greatly aid learning.

10. Practice at every opportunity before and after you travel.