I learned to speak another language in High School. 2 years later I ended up in Europe and was glad I had exposure to it earlier in school.

also, depending on the language, you must find ways to expose yourself to it on a daily basis. for example, spanish is the easiest….you can easily listen to spanish music on the radio, listen to spanish television, buy spanish magazines, etc… if you aren’t learning spanish, i suggest finding these things…via the internet.

when i first found out i was moving to mexico, i just turned on the spanish television channel. i didn’t understand a single thing, and i didn’t for months….but somehow, it helped!! i started to understand the separation of words, even if i didn’t know what those words were. i picked up on tones, accents, etc… even though i understood nothing, it was very valuable.

even a beginner should find ways to be “immersed” in language.