"Smash went the window" - en español?

Question

Hello,

This is a double query. Firstly, I am looking for a good onomatopoeia for "smash" - would "cataplúm" be appropriate?

Secondly, would the correct translation of "Smash! went the window" be "¡Cataplúm! fue la ventana", i.e., can ir be used here?

I am translating Mr Men books, it is much harder than you would think!

Thanks,

Jenny

Answer 1

Hi;

"Cataplúm! se fue la ventana"

but i think sounds better "Cataplúm! hizo la ventana", because you are trying to represent the sound that a window does when is smashed.

Saludos

Answer 2

Thanks for your answers.

I am translating Mr Grumpy and Mr Bump. I am meant to be learning about how to write with humour in Spanish and about Spanish idioms, so I thought I'd try to translate a text that is typically "British" for a Spanish audience. It's very much a work in progress, but it is helping me discover many new Spanish colloquialisms and onomatopoeias.

Thanks,

Jenny

There's a lot to translate in those books, good luck with it. - fontanero, Aug 19, 2010

Answer 3

I remember seeing some Spanish versions of the Mr Men books in a shop. They might be available online somewhere.

Which one are you translating?

Answer 4

¡Romper! se fue la ventana
I used the SpanishDict.com dictionary and romper = to smash

I don't know if that is what others with more knowledge would say.

I did find out the the Mr. Men is a series of 48 (46 published in English) children's books by Roger Hargreaves started in 1971; they feature characters with names such as "Mr. Tickle" and "Mr. Happy".

So for you to be doing this project is wonderful and yes, it does look pretty hard!