How come I can't get sharp images with my nikon 50mm f1.8G?

I have a NIKON D7000 and a 50mm f1.8G lens. And I'm not getting the results that I was hoping to get from this lens. My images are almost never Sharp at f2.8. I never shoot at f1.8 anymore cause its too difficult to get focus.
I shoot on auto 39 AF most of the time. And I try single point AF and it gets even worse.
I'm assuming its user error, so does anyone have any tips on how to get pin Sharp images on this lens or with this camera? I'm getting a little frustrated.

Your plane of sharpness is going to be shallow anyway. If you're doing portraiture, focus on the eyes.

At any other time, pick a point about one-third the way in and focus on that - manually if needs be.

Start with focusing on something far away, such as the horizon. That photo should be sharp. If it isn't, it's time to contact Nikon. There's something wrong between the camera and the lens. They may want you to send both in.

If the horizon photo comes out sharp, then start moving the focal distance closer. As the distance gets closer, the depth of field will start to shrink. Some things will be out of focus, as they should be, but what you're focusing on should be sharp.

It is not a macro lens. You can override the "out of focus lockout". Are you?

One question I would ask. Have you got your camera set up on a single focus point, dead center?
Or are you using all the focus points on full auto. If it's the latter that's your problem… You need a single focus point and get off of full auto.

Check your owner's manual for the menu item to set this up then try.

Another thing, are you shooting in very low light - hand held? If so get on a tripod and try again.

With large aperture lenses, the best (and probably only) way to focus is to focus manually. Start by shooting under lots of light to get a fast shutter speed while keeping ISO at lowest. Don't be scared to use f/1.8.

http://keerok-potd.blogspot.com/2011/05/muning.html

Set focus point to single-center. Your camera has focus confirmation. You will see the huge circle in the viewfinder when you're in focus. That should be your cue to take the shot. The secret is all in the light. More good light hitting the subject, sharper focus.