Tell me more ×
Spanish Language & Usage Stack Exchange is a question and answer site for students, teachers, and linguists wanting to discuss the finer points of the Spanish language. It's 100% free, no registration required.
up vote 2 down vote favorite

It seems like a través de and por medio de can often be used to mean the same thing. What is the difference between them, and in what contexts can you only use one or the other?

share|improve this question

2 Answers

up vote 2 down vote accepted

There's little (if any) semantic difference between these two constructs, as they both can express mode:

Hicieron el pago a través de transferencia bancaria.
Hicieron el pago por medio de transferencia bancaria.

and place:

Se hizo paso a través del paseo marítimo.
Se hizo paso por medio del paseo marítimo.

However in the first pair of examples, por medio sounds awkwardly more formal than a través, and in the second one, rather uncultured (if that's the right word in English).

There are cases in which por medio sounds just as acceptable as other options, but as a rule of thumb, always prefer a través de.

share|improve this answer
up vote 3 down vote

I would translate "a través de" as "through," and "por medio de" as "by means of," or "using." The difference is rather slight.

share|improve this answer
+1 I like that. Sometimes you can use through and by means of interchangeably, but you would never say "he drilled a hole by means of the wall" That is more or less when the two terms are different in Spanish as well. – DeStrangis Feb 22 at 12:02

Your Answer

 
discard

By posting your answer, you agree to the privacy policy and terms of service.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.