The first thing to do is learn to listen actively. Learning a language is a lot like learning to play a musical instrument. You can listen to music for enjoyment, but if you want to study the music you have to listen more critically. It's the same with languages; you need to make a conscious effort to hear not only the words that someone is saying but, more importantly, pay attention, and try to understand the complete message behind the words. - See more at: http://www.learnenglish.de/improveenglish/improvelisteningpage.html#sthash.I9IkrOCz.dpuf