The preterite of atravesar is used to express a specific instance of crossing or going through something in the past. For example, you might say “We crossed the bridge at midnight,” indicating a completed action of traversing.

This is a regular -ar verb that follows the standard preterite conjugation pattern. Despite its length, it conjugates predictably in the preterite tense.

Conjugations

Conjugations of Atravesar (to cross/go through) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish):

The preterite of atravesar indicates a completed action of crossing or going through in the past.

To cross/traverse: Describes crossing through something, for example Atravesé el parque caminando (I walked across the park) or Atravesaron el desierto en tres días (They crossed the desert in three days).

To go through: Used for experiencing difficult situations, for example Atravesó un momento difícil (He/she went through a difficult time).

Examples

Examples of Atravesar in the Preterite (Past) Tense

Atravesé el parque para llegar más rápido. (I crossed through the park to arrive faster.)

Atravesaste el puente bajo la lluvia. (You crossed the bridge in the rain.)

El tren atravesó el túnel en cinco minutos. (The train went through the tunnel in five minutes.)

Atravesamos el desierto en tres días. (We crossed the desert in three days.)

Los exploradores atravesaron la selva tropical. (The explorers crossed through the rainforest.)

Atravesé la ciudad durante la madrugada. (I crossed through the city during dawn.)

Atravesaste el océano en barco. (You crossed the ocean by boat.)

La flecha atravesó el blanco. (The arrow went through the target.)

Atravesamos la frontera al amanecer. (We crossed the border at dawn.)

Los pájaros atravesaron el cielo. (The birds crossed through the sky.)

Atravesé el campus universitario corriendo. (I crossed through the university campus running.)

Atravesaste la multitud para llegar al escenario. (You crossed through the crowd to reach the stage.)

El rayo atravesó las nubes. (The lightning bolt went through the clouds.)

Atravesamos el río en canoa. (We crossed the river by canoe.)

Los atletas atravesaron la línea de meta. (The athletes crossed the finish line.)

Conjugations with English Translations

Conjugations of Atravesar (to cross/go through) in the Preterite (Past) Tense tense (Latin American Spanish) with English Translations:

This post covers Latin American Spanish. For Castilian Spanish, click here

Synonyms

The Preterite tense is also known as the Simple Past, Past Simple, Definite Past, Absolute Past, or Past Tense Indicative in English, and as Pretérito Perfecto Simple, Pretérito Indefinido, Pretérito Simple, Pasado Simple, or Pretérito de Indicativo in Spanish.