What's the difference between "Люблю идти по дороге" and "Люблю проходить по дороге"?

Question

Is there any difference in meaning between "Люблю идти по дороге" and "Люблю проходить по дороге"?

Answer 1

Let's look at the phrases:

Люблю идти по этой дороге по вечерам, ни о чём не думая.
Люблю проходить по этой дороге по вечерам, ни о чём не думая.

Here идти and проходить are in the same context. I must admit that both phrases are possible and correct.

The first phrase is general use and does not need further explanation. (Yuri mentioned that it would sound even better with гулять or ходить, but we are talking about the difference of идти and проходить).

The second phrase can be perfect in some additional context. For example: По вечерам на моем длинном пути с работы домой я люблю проходить по этой дороге, ни о чём не думая.

Проходить is usually used when somebody/something goes through a layer, or gate, or some special place during a bigger-scale movement. For example:

Проходить через игольное ушко. 
Проходить по коридору. Проходить коридор.
Проходить по мосту. Проходить мост.
Проходить через тоннель.
Проходить мимо большой березы. Проходить большую березу.
Проходить этот уровень компьютерной игры.

Interesting fact is that the imperfect form (несовершенный вид) проходить corresponds to the perfect form (совершеный вид) пройти i.e. "про-идти". Maybe this was the original prompter for brilliant to ask the question. We can discuss what will be the difference between пройти по этой дороге and проходить по этой дороге. I think it is the implied repetitiveness of the action but it is not what the original question was asking about.

So, in conclusion, to my mind, проходить по дороге implies that the mentioned road (дорога) is a part of a bigger way before and/or after this road.

Answer 2

If you just wonder about the difference between verbs "идти" and "проходить", it is the following: "идти" means walking, and it often concerns some particular situation, not activity in general; "проходить" means the activity of passing through a place, or a landmark, either some particular situation or activity in general. If you want to refer to the activity of walking in general, you need to use the verb "ходить":

Ты можешь идти? is appropriate if your friend has just fell down hurt his leg, and you are asking if he can walk
Ты можешь ходить? is good when your friend has had an operation after an accident, and you ask whether he will be able to walk again
Ты можешь здесь пройти? is when you are asking if someone can walk through a specific area.

As for the phrases, they both sound strange to me. A Russian would probably say "Я предпочитаю идти по этой дороге", or "По этой дороге я люблю идти", or "я люблю ходить по дорогам", "я люблю проходить по этой дороге". Or use some accentuation.

"люблю идти по дороге" sounds a little weird if you don't put any stress or if you stress "люблю". In this case, it means that you specifically enjoy the activity of walking on some specific road in a certain area, probably on a road that is in front of you right now. You like the walking itself, the feeling of your legs and feet moving. If you stress "по дороге", it means that you like going on the road (and, for instance, not across the field). If you stress "идти", it means that you like walking (and, for example, not driving) down a road.

"люблю проходить по дороге" is even more weird, because the verb suggests that you especially enjoy to walk down a road, because of a scenery, for example. But you don't specify which road it is that you like. If you say "люблю проходить по этой дороге", it would make infinitely more sense.

Answer 3

Правильно: люблю ходить по дороге: люблю ходить по этой дороге на работу, т.к. она более зеленая.