The first time I used DuoLingo, I was just trying to get through the tree, without really learning, and that was useless. Now I have a different technique: I’ll only listen (never read), and if I can’t comprehend and respond immediately, I’ll fail that exercise deliberately, so I’ll be re-tested later. For me, I only understand the language if I can understand some one speaking to me and respond in real time.
I started doing the listen-only as well! By this, I mean I just don't look at the screen, I'd love to know if there is a way to setup a listen-only option.
I've also used Jumpspeak, which is an AI conversation partner. It works ok, but the speech recognition is... not great. But you can have a conversation and practice listening and responding. I was able to treat the AI as an uber driver and ask about places to go in Peru, and how to get there, and why they were nice.