Breakdown of El murciélago voló a través de la cueva.
la
the (feminine)
la cueva
the cave
volar
to fly
a través de
through / across
Questions & Answers about El murciélago voló a través de la cueva.
Can I use por instead of a través de to mean through in this sentence?
Why does this sentence use the preterite voló rather than the imperfect volaba?
Using voló treats the flight as a single, completed action. If you used volaba, it would mean the bat was in the middle of flying through the cave, which is an ongoing background action usually used to set the scene for something else to happen.
Does a través de always mean through?
It usually translates to through, but it can also mean across when talking about flat surfaces, like walking across a field. In both cases, it describes a spatial trajectory from one edge or side of something to the other.