Hi Derik, I'd strongly suggest you to have french class with some french tutor/professor. I've been study french for 1,5 years and although I'm still a beginner, I can get across to who I'm talking to in french. I studied for 6 months only by duolingo. I finished the whole course and I couldn't speak much. So as soon as I started my french class with some tutors, I felt my communication skills dramatically improved . If I could get back in time, I would've started my french class right away. I hope I could be helpful.

I would recommend you buy a book called "Fluent Forever", by Gabriel Wyner. It teaches you how to learn a language quickly and without forgetting. It's not just cheap tricks: it's a set of very helpful methods based on scientific studies on how we form memories. The method involves making your own flash cards on a free app called Anki. 这个软件也有中文版。 这一套方法可以用来学任何语言。建议你先看作者的网站，特别是这一页：https://fluent-forever.com/gallery/ 想买他的书可以通过www.bookdepository.com：10块美金含运费。