Unless you have a good latin base or previous language skills in a latin based language it can take several yrs before fully converse, CD’s and language schools are great for a base level, once that is in the grey stuff its important to add Spanish conversation.
The trick is not to give up and don’t expect it to happen overnight.
Spaniards can have trouble with language from different regions.
A good tip for beginners is to listen and practice using Mexican or other South American countries, apart from Argentina, I find there too Italian sounding to be able to hear, understand and respond before the conversation has moved on, but Mexican was the one I grasped before mainland Spanish, its more pure sounding and slower.
