To learn to interact in a new language, use it as a tool to communicate right from day one*.
That means speaking it whenever you have the opportunity. In fact, don’t allow yourself to fallback to English whenever you have the chance to speak with a native.
Speaking with strangers may be scary. And a scared/stressed mindset is not good for learning. While you should definitely try to overcome the hurdle of speaking to strangers, it’s also important to create a safe environment for yourself to practice the language. You do this by finding a language parent: a native speaker of the language who is willing to communicate with you with a lot patience.
You’re first action is going to be finding a language parent: [ACTION] Language parent.
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