vadear

Senses

1. 1.

   to ford

   to cross a river or body of water by walking through it

2. 2.

   to wade through

   to walk through water, mud, or other difficult terrain

3. 3.

   to get through; to overcome

   figuratively, to navigate or resolve a difficult situation

Examples

• "Los soldados vadearon el río para cruzar al otro lado."

  The soldiers forded the river to cross to the other side.

• "Tuvimos que vadear el arroyo con el agua hasta las rodillas."

  We had to wade through the stream with water up to our knees.

• "Después de muchas dificultades, logró vadear los obstáculos burocráticos."

  After many difficulties, he managed to overcome the bureaucratic obstacles.

Usage

Vadear is primarily used for physical crossing of water or terrain, but can be applied figuratively to navigating obstacles. It's a regular verb and fairly formal in register; in everyday speech, people might say "cruzar a pie" or "pasar por el agua" instead.