Beginning Spanish ¡Empecemos por aquí!

x Acknowledgments Portland State University (PSU) occupies the traditional and ancestral homelands of the Multnomah, Kathlamet, Clackamas, Tumwater, and Watlala bands of the Chinook; the Tualatin Kalapuya; and many other indigenous nations of the Columbia River. We recognize that we are here and this work is possible because of the sacrifices forced upon them. We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to all of those who made this textbook possible, including • our Beginning Spanish students, who are endlessly inspiring, who teach us so much every term, and who deserve the absolute best we can possibly offer; • our graduate teaching assistants, whose curiosity and commitment to growth are so contagious and who continually shape our own professional development; • our adjunct colleagues, whose amazing adaptability and expertise can bring any program to life in the classroom and who have always been so graciously flexible with each programmatic change they are asked to implement; • all of our colleagues in the Department of World Languages and Literatures at PSU, whose unwavering support and confidence have been essential; • Karen Bjork and the PSU library, who provided both the technical and financial support to make this book a reality; • Melissa Bertrán, Raven Chakerian, and Melissa Patiño-Vega, who generously offered their exper- tise as our reviewers; • Daniela Cramer, Laura Rosas, Alex Tep-Soto, and Yesenia Torres, who created recordings so that learners could listen to native and heritage speakers, and the office of Global Diversity & Inclu- sion and Diversity Action Council at PSU, whose sponsorship made that work possible; • the countless open educational resources (OER) creators and contributors whose work is included in this document; and • our families, who adapted with love and patience as our homes became our workplaces in 2020.