No syntex
Can somebody tell me the difference between por and a traves
example would i say "caminando por el barrio or a traves el barrrio"
1 Answer
Sometimes they can have the same meaning such as the method or way of doing something or an idea of something, but the main difference is when the words are used in a directional sense. In this case por denotes "by way of" or "through" somewhere and a través means crossing a place from one side to the other opposite side.
Your sentence needs context to determine which word to use: por el barrio would tell me that someone is walking through the barrio, and a través del barrio would indicate crossing it one side to the other as it just happens to be on your route. The nuance here is that por is the longer way through and a través is shorter.
If you consult the RAE under por and través, you will find other uses as well.
