Atravesar Examples, Sentences & Quiz in Spanish

atravesar means "to cross, to go through" in English, and this page shows you how it actually sounds in everyday Spanish — not just the conjugation table, but the verb in real sentences, in short dialogues, and in the mistakes learners make with it. Atravesar means to cross or go through something: atravesar la calle, atravesar el bosque. It also works figuratively: atravesar una crisis means to go through a difficult period. Below you will find twelve example sentences grouped by use, two short dialogues, the most common mistakes with corrections, and a ten-question quiz with explained answers. If you want the full tables first, start with the full conjugation of atravesar; if you want to study one tense in depth, see the atravesar present tense page.

atravesar in everyday use: examples with translations

Everyday present uses

How the verb sounds in the present, the future and in hypotheticals — the forms you will use most often.

  1. Yo atravieso la calle por el paso de peatones — "I cross the street at the zebra crossing"
  2. Mi amigo atraviesa el bosque en una hora — "My friend crosses the forest in an hour"
  3. Mañana, tú atravesarás el desierto con camellos — "Tomorrow, you will cross the desert by camel"
  4. Yo atravesaría una crisis difícil si pudiera — "I would cross a difficult crisis if I could"

Talking about the past

The same verb in the past: one finished action, a habit, something that has just happened, and something that had already happened.

  1. Ayer, yo atravesé la calle por el paso de peatones — "Yesterday, I crossed the street at the zebra crossing"
  2. Antes, nosotros atravesábamos el bosque en una hora — "Before, we used to cross the forest in an hour"
  3. Él ha atravesado el desierto con camellos — "He has crossed the desert by camel"
  4. Yo ya había atravesado una crisis difícil antes de salir — "I already had crossed a difficult crisis before leaving"

Wishes, conditions and commands

The verb after espero que, in si clauses, as a command — and in the conditional perfect, for what would have happened.

  1. Espero que él atraviese la calle por el paso de peatones — "I hope he crosses the street at the zebra crossing"
  2. Si yo atravesara el bosque en una hora, todo cambiaría — "If I crossed the forest in an hour, everything would change"
  3. Atraviesa el desierto con camellos. — "Cross the desert by camel."
  4. Yo habría atravesado una crisis difícil con más tiempo — "I would have crossed a difficult crisis with more time"

atravesar in conversation

Two short dialogues that use atravesar the way people really speak it. Notice how the verb changes with the person, and how the same verb fits different situations.

Two friends talk about it.

  • Lucía: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Lucía: Yo atravieso la calle por el paso de peatones — "I cross the street at the zebra crossing"
  • Marcos: Él atraviesa el bosque en una hora — "He crosses the forest in an hour"
  • Lucía: Ayer, yo atravesé el desierto con camellos — "Yesterday, I crossed the desert by camel"
  • Marcos: Mañana, tú atravesarás una crisis difícil — "Tomorrow, you will cross a difficult crisis"

A practical exchange.

  • Marcos: Hola, ¿qué tal? — "Hello, how are you?"
  • Marcos: Atraviesa el río por el puente. — "Cross the river by the bridge."
  • Lucía: Él ha atravesado la calle por el paso de peatones — "He has crossed the street at the zebra crossing"
  • Marcos: Espero que él atraviese el bosque en una hora — "I hope he crosses the forest in an hour"
  • Lucía: Antes, yo atravesaba el desierto con camellos — "Before, I used to cross the desert by camel"

Common mistakes with atravesar

The errors learners actually make with atravesar, each with the wrong form, the right form, and why the right form is right.

✗ *Yo atraveso una crisis difícil.

✓ Correct: Yo atravieso una crisis difícil.

atravesar is a stem-changing verb (e → ie): the stem vowel changes in the stressed present forms, so the yo form is atravieso, not atraveso.

✗ *Espero que él atraviesa una crisis difícil

✓ Correct: Espero que él atraviese una crisis difícil

After espero que, Spanish requires the subjunctive: Espero que él atraviese una crisis difícil — not the indicative Espero que él atraviesa una crisis difícil.

✗ *Ayer, yo atravieso el río por el puente

✓ Correct: Ayer, yo atravesé el río por el puente

Ayer points to a finished action in the past, so it needs the preterite: Ayer, yo atravesé el río por el puente.

✗ *De niño, yo atravesé la calle por el paso de peatones todos los días

✓ Correct: De niño, yo atravesaba la calle por el paso de peatones todos los días

For a repeated habit in the past, use the imperfect, not the preterite: De niño, yo atravesaba la calle por el paso de peatones todos los días.

✗ *Yo atravieso en el desierto con camellos.

✓ Correct: Yo atravieso el desierto con camellos.

atravesar takes this complement directly, with no preposition: Yo atravieso el desierto con camellos.

Quiz: atravesar in use

Ten questions on atravesar — its forms, its tenses and its everyday use. Choose the best answer for each one, then check the answer key below, where every answer is explained.

  1. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ la calle por el paso de peatones — "I cross the street at the zebra crossing" (present) A. atraviesas B. atraviesa C. atravesamos D. atravieso

  2. Complete the sentence: Ayer, yo ______ el bosque en una hora — "Yesterday, I crossed the forest in an hour" (preterite) A. atravesé B. atravesaste C. atravesó D. atravesamos

  3. Complete the sentence: Antes, nosotros ______ el desierto con camellos — "Before, we used to cross the desert by camel" (imperfect) A. atravesabais B. atravesábamos C. atravesaba D. atravesabas

  4. Complete the sentence: Mañana, tú ______ una crisis difícil — "Tomorrow, you will cross a difficult crisis" (future) A. atravesaré B. atravesará C. atravesaremos D. atravesarás

  5. Complete the sentence: Yo ______ el río por el puente — "I would cross the river by the bridge" (conditional) A. atravesaríamos B. atravesaríais C. atravesaría D. atravesarías

  6. Complete the sentence: Él ______ la calle por el paso de peatones — "He has crossed the street at the zebra crossing" (present perfect) A. ha atravesado B. he atravesado C. has atravesado D. hemos atravesado

  7. Complete the sentence: Espero que él ______ el bosque en una hora — "I hope he crosses the forest in an hour" (present subjunctive) A. atravesemos B. atraveséis C. atraviese D. atravieses

  8. Complete the sentence: ______ el desierto con camellos. — "Cross the desert by camel." (affirmative imperative) A. atravesad B. atraviesa C. atraviese D. atravesemos

  9. Which is the gerund of atravesar, used with estar for the progressive? A. atravesé B. atravesando C. atravesado D. atravieso

  10. What does atravesar mean in English? A. to enjoy B. to draw C. to threaten D. to cross

Answer key

  1. atravieso — The present form for yo is atravieso.
  2. atravesé — The preterite form for yo is atravesé.
  3. atravesábamos — The imperfect form for nosotros/as is atravesábamos.
  4. atravesarás — The future form for tú is atravesarás.
  5. atravesaría — The conditional form for yo is atravesaría.
  6. ha atravesado — The present perfect form for él/ella/Ud. is ha atravesado.
  7. atraviese — The present subjunctive form for él/ella/Ud. is atraviese.
  8. atraviesa — The affirmative imperative form is atraviesa.
  9. atravesando — The gerund of atravesar is atravesando: estoy atravesando. The participle atravesado is used with haber instead.
  10. to cross — atravesar means to cross.

Frequently asked questions

What does atravesar mean in English?

atravesar means to cross, to go through. For example: Yo atravieso la calle por el paso de peatones — "I cross the street at the zebra crossing". The exact English wording depends on the context, but the core meaning stays the same across the tenses.

What preposition goes with atravesar?

atravesar takes its complement directly, with no preposition, as in the examples above. Adding an extra preposition is a common learner error.

Is atravesar regular?

No. atravesar is a stem-changing -ar verb (e → ie). The stem vowel changes in the stressed forms of the present: atravieso, atraviesas, atraviesa and atraviesan — but nosotros and vosotros keep the plain stem: atravesamos, atravesáis.

How do I practise atravesar?

Start with the present tense table on the full conjugation page, then drill the preterite and the imperfect, since those two past tenses cause the most mistakes. Try the Spanish Verb Quiz to test the forms under pressure, and come back to the sentences above until you can say them without looking.

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