Introducción

Welcome to Florecer, your introductory Spanish first year college level textbook.  This book was developed to guide students and instructors through the entire first year of Spanish as a Second or Foreign Language.  The title Florecer means bloom or thrive in Spanish and should have special meaning for the individual seeking to develop their linguistic and cultural capacity to flourish in the Spanish speaking world.

Each chapter and sub chapter begins with clearly stated learning objectives that are easily attainable with study and meaningful interactive practice.  Many of the activities are developed in order to inspire conversation in Spanish in class, through zoom or with classmates from across the world.  Focus on form or grammar study and practice is introduced to the student as a way to develop skills to be able to communicate meaningful information with one another.  In addition, each chapter includes a short reading selection for fluency practice as well as cultural insights into the incredibly diverse Spanish speaking world.

The image on the front cover was taken by Erin Fernández Mommer in the Plaza de Santa Catalina in Valencia, Spain at the moment when she came up with the concept of blooming and thriving in Spanish as a concept because, it comes from within and is a natural process of development.