I used to have the same or similar problems. I just have one comment and two suggestions. The comment is as follows: Unfortunately, unless otherwise you are a genius of language mastering (and obviously I'm not), there is no royal road, just as Euclid said about geometry. Therefore, you have to just keep continuing. But good news is that keep continuing is something everybody can do as long as the one is willing to :-) Now, the first suggestion: Listen anyway as much as possible. Soak yourself up with the language you are learning. There will be a moment at which quantity turns into quality (and you can look forward to the moment!). The second suggestion. Please, don't be passive. With listening to something, try to come up with questions to ask to the speaker. Your brain will have a mode change from a passive mode to to an active mode with trying to obtain the message of the sentences. The bottom line is that never ever give it up. Some time it's difficult but continue with imagining the delightful moment :-)