Fluent AF

Priscilla Tovar
  • 5.0 (8)
  • Language Learning
  • Weekly

Fluent AF: The Hidden Language of Being Human Why do we become different versions of ourselves when we speak another language? Why do certain words feel impossible to translate? And what do our families teach us without ever saying a word? Fluent AF is a cultural language podcast hosted by Priscilla Tovar, writer and language educator, exploring the fascinating intersections of language, identity, psychology, and culture. From bilingual brains and code-switching to family folklore, strange superstitions, travel, accents, and the memories hiding inside everyday words, each episode reveals something unexpected about how we communicate and who we become. You don’t have to be bilingual. You just have to be curious about people. Part linguistics. Part psychology. Part storytelling. 100% human. New episodes every other Wednesday.

  1. Sep 23

    Episode 40: Are We Becoming One with the Bots? AI, language, creativity and what stays human

    What if Artificial Intelligence doesn't destroy humanity, what if it reveals us? Our brilliance. Our laziness. Our tenderness. Our greed. And our willingness to hand over the very things that make us human. In this 10 minute episode, I follow a thread from fire to WALL-E, from Yuval Noah Harari to linguist Emily H. Bender, and from personalized AI tutors to nuclear war. As an educator, translator, writer and someone who isn't opposed to those using AI to organize their brains, I'm not interested in fighting the bots. I'm interested in figuring out what humans should never hand over. Can a machine produce language without understanding it? Can it imitate intimacy? Could AI transform medicine, education, farming, and disaster response-or are we teaching something how to live without us? This isn't an argument for AI. And it isn't an argument against it. It's an argument for paying attention. I'm not asking for consensus. I'm asking for conversation. Are we becoming one with the bots? And if we are, what part of us should never become machines? Listen before the future answers for us.

  2. Aug 26

    Episode 39: When Humanity Interrupts the Argument

    What happens when something interrupts everything we think divides us? We spend so much time hearing about how divided we are; politically, culturally, religiously, linguistically. Then the ground moves. Someone needs help. And suddenly. nobody cares who you voted for or what language you speak. After witnessing the aftermath of the Colombia earthquake that happened on August 12, 2026, I came home thinking less about the earthquake itself and more about what happened around it: People checking on each other, strangers connecting, laughter returning, and life carrying on. In Episode 39 of Fluent AF, we're talking about joy, solidarity, fear, language, and the quiet ways humanity continues to show its face-even when the world feels determined to convince us otherwise. Because maybe compassion is a language. Maybe humor is. Maybe grief is. Maybe reaching for another person is. Division is loud. Humanity is usually quieter. But it's still there. And maybe the most important language we speak is one nobody ever had to teach us. How much of being human actually needs translation?

  3. Aug 22

    Episode 38: Our First School is our Home

    Before the world taught us how to behave, love, communicate, spend money, argue, celebrate, grieve or even what “normal” was, our families did. In this episode of Fluent AF, we’re talking about the culture before culture: home. From immigrant-family chaos and showing love through errands, food, and acts of service, to the things we thought every family did until we grew up and realized… oh. Apparently not.  Because your first language isn’t just the one you speak. It’s also the way you learned to love, survive, communicate, and understand the world. And then adulthood happens, and you get to decide what you keep, what you question, and what you unlearn. Your first school was home. What did yours teach you? Episode 38: Our First School Is Our Home OUT NOW

  4. Jul 23

    Episode 37: The People We Almost Meet

    What if life is less about CASUAlidades and more about CAUSAlidades. Years before Tony and I ever spoke, we found ourselves in the same room at a roller derby party in Bogotá. Same night. Same place. Different lives. We never met. Years later, we got married. In this episode of Fluent AF, we explore the difference between casualidad (coincidence) and causalidad (cause and effect), why language shapes the way we recognize people, and how the smallest, most ordinary moments often become the biggest turning points in hindsight. Because maybe the people who will change your life are already closer than you think. Maybe you’ve already shared a room with them. You just haven’t met… yet. Available wherever you listen

  5. Jul 9

    Episode 36: What Your Walls Are Saying: How Color, Space, and Design Shape the Way We Feel

    Before anyone speaks, a room has already said something. Every color carries meaning. Every space influences behavior. Every building tells a story. From hospitals and classrooms to luxury boutiques, fast-food restaurants, and the homes we return to every day, design quietly shapes how we think, feel, and connect. In this episode, we explore the hidden language of color psychology, environmental design, and the messages embedded in the spaces we inhabit. Along the way, we ask a bigger question: If language shapes reality... what happens when language isn't spoken at all? Because maybe communication doesn't begin with words. Maybe it begins the moment we walk through the door.

  6. Jun 24

    Episode 35: Why Do We Hate the Sound of our Own Voice

    In Episode 35 of Fluent AF, we ask a question almost everyone has asked after hearing a voice note, video, or recording: Why do I hate the sound of my own voice? From bone conduction and brain science to identity, storytelling, folklore, and the strange power of hearing ourselves from the outside, this episode explores why our own voice can feel so unfamiliar. Because maybe the voice in your head was never the voice the world heard. Episode 35 out now. Spotify • Apple • YouTube #language #voice# #folklore #sound #FluentAFPodcast

  7. Jun 11

    Video Episode 34: Language is Access: The Truth about Becoming Multiligual

    Can you become multilingual without moving abroad? Most people think language learning requires talent, perfect grammar, or years of living overseas. It doesn’t. In this episode of Fluent AF, language educator and polyglot Magui Jiménez joins Priscilla Tovar to unpack some of the biggest myths about becoming multilingual and why discipline matters far more than talent. Together, we explore: Why some people succeed at language learning and others quit. Whether multilingual people are actually smarter. How language creates access to friendships, careers, travel, and opportunities. What fluency really looks like in the real world. Because becoming multilingual isn’t about sounding perfect. It’s about showing up consistently. Listen now. Spotify • Apple • YouTube #language #learning #Polyglot #Spanish # #Culture #Travel #FluentAFPodcast

  8. May 30

    Episode 33: The Secret Language of Objects

    Why do humans give power to objects? Form evil eye bracelets and Italian horns to rabbit's feet, rosaries, lucky socks, and candles lit in complete silence, every culture has created objects that mean far more than the object itself. In this episode of Fluent AF, we explore the strange, beautiful ways human attach meanings to things. Why do we keep lucky charms? Why do certain objects instantly transport us back to childhood, home, and the people who raised us? On top of that, we dive into inherited rituals from listeners around the world, from throwing baby teeth onto rooftops for prosperity to egg cleanses for the evil eye, Virgen de Guadalupe candles, and traditions that turn ordinary objects into symbols of protection, hope, and belonging. Because maybe objects aren't just things. Maybe they're memory. Maybe they're identity. Maybe they're one of humanity's oldest languages. Welcome to Fluent AF. Episode 33 out now.

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
8 Ratings

About

Fluent AF: The Hidden Language of Being Human Why do we become different versions of ourselves when we speak another language? Why do certain words feel impossible to translate? And what do our families teach us without ever saying a word? Fluent AF is a cultural language podcast hosted by Priscilla Tovar, writer and language educator, exploring the fascinating intersections of language, identity, psychology, and culture. From bilingual brains and code-switching to family folklore, strange superstitions, travel, accents, and the memories hiding inside everyday words, each episode reveals something unexpected about how we communicate and who we become. You don’t have to be bilingual. You just have to be curious about people. Part linguistics. Part psychology. Part storytelling. 100% human. New episodes every other Wednesday.

Information

  • Creator
    Priscilla Tovar
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    40
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Priscilla Tovar
  • Show Website
    Fluent AF