Find learner guides at your local library that teach the target language. Purchase audio tapes or CDs that cover the basics of the new language. Browse the Internet and find interactive websites that help to learn the language.
Determine the amount of time you have to devote to study of the language. Prepare a tentative time table that realistically reflects the amount of time you will spend on learning the new language every day. Set targets for learning specific portions of the language, such as common words, grammar rules and sentence construction.
Begin with learning basic words, such as "yes," "no," "thank you," "sorry" and "please." Memorize the words and practice saying them out loud to yourself. Listen to the audio files and perfect your pronunciation of these words. When you feel confident, move on to learning small sentences, such as: "What is your name?"
Prepare flash cards by writing out words and phrases you wish to learn. Make sure you also write down a brief meaning of the word or phrase on the reverse of the flash card, preferably in your mother tongue. Keep these cards handy and refer to them frequently whenever you have a free moment.
Listen to online radio stations and watch movies with subtitles in the target language. Pay attention to how native speakers of the language pronounce the words, their tone and inflections and practice identifying the individual words with which you are familiar. Perfect your pronunciation of these words.
Read online newspapers in the target language and try to comprehend what a particular news item conveys. Test your comprehension by reading about the same information from a newspaper in your mother tongue.
Locate a friend, neighbor or colleague at your work place who is a native speaker of the language you are learning. Interact with this person in that language and ask him to correct your errors. Any time you come across a new turn of phrase, write it down in a book. This is helpful in learning the language in the actual way it is spoken, and it familiarizes you with slang and jargon that is useful for informal communication.