My partner and I have recently moved to France (see the article I wrote about my move), and while both of us have learned French in school, neither of us is really able to hold our own in that language. Both of us have basic knowledge of grammar and vocabulary yet still fail to use the language competently.
While I do speak both English and German, neither of those two languages are really second languages to me as I grew up with them. French is my first attempt at learning a new language past what textbooks and classes teach, and I have noticed several gaps between what I learned in school (several years of French) and what is needed to actually communicate in French.
Using my knowledge in conversations with native speakers
To me, native speakers and people with excellent language ability are more difficult to understand than fellow beginners/intermediates. They use more complex sentences and speak faster. In stressful situations, this has sometimes led to my brain shutting down its comprehension of French entirely instead of carefully retracing the sentences and understanding them word for word. The problem is not that I cannot understand the words or sentences spoken but that I cannot keep up with how fast they are expressed. I need to make a conscious effort to retrace every word and not get overwhelmed by the situation and, if necessary, ask the person I am talking to if they could slow down.
This ties into another problem. I need to make a conscious effort to understand French because comprehension has not yet turned into a skill I can do effortlessly. This means constantly reminding myself to keep comprehending what is going on and not start zoning off.
Other things I am trying out
When on my own, I often try to formulate my thoughts in French instead of English or German. This forces me to build sentences and learn words I need in day-to-day life. Because in contrast to what one might think, vocab lists and school have sometimes let me down and skipped absolutely crucial words (I have had multiple people tell me that they have had the same experience).
We should definitely start watching movies in French but without English or German subtitles. To start, we will be using French subtitles, but definitely not English or German, because then it is way too easy just to read along and stop listening.
Going for it
My father has given us the advice to accept that we will sound like idiots for a while and just go for it. That is the only way to learn, and so far, it has worked reasonably well. We need to make a point to keep speaking the language and not create our own English-speaking bubble because we want to integrate ourselves into the local culture and definitely do not want to live our lives as foreigners abroad.
Conclusion
Learning a language in order to use it is definitely different from only trying to pass tests. I have gained a lot of respect for everybody who came to Germany from abroad and managed to integrate the German language into their everyday lives. Using my friends and relatives that have done just that as examples, I hope to do the same.