Llamada VS se llamaba

Question

Dijo:

¿Recuerda a una chica llamada Dolores Hayes?

Is the same as

¿Recuerda a una chica que se llamaba Dolores Hayes?

Is llamada better here, less words I guess. Both sound OK?

Would it be "Ella fue llamada Dolores Hayes" then and not era? Gracias.

A thought occurs to me now.... what is llamada means named and not called.

Then fue makes sense, because you are named once.

Remember a girl named Dolores Hayes? Yes I think that is it. And Fue llamada for was named, even if she still lives.

Anyway agree or disagree? Gracias.

Answer 1

Is llamada better here, less words I guess. Both sound OK?

Both are fine; "llamada" is shorter.

Would it be "Ella fue llamada Dolores Hayes" then and not era? Gracias

"Llarmarse" is intransitive, and therefore it doesn't have a passive counterpart. This construction does not need anyone to do the "calling"; you can say "La roca se llama antracita". "Llamar a alguien un nombre" is transitive, but it requires someone who calls someone or something a name. If you use it in preterite (fue), it implies that the person was called something during a definite period, so the most likely interpretation is that someone said something like "Hey, Dolores!", and that's it.

Then fue makes sense, because you are named once.

Careful! "Llamar a alguien" can also be "to call this person by name", or "to call him things". To name someone, in the sense of being given an official name as a citizen, is generally "poner" (although "llamar" works too):

poner

18. tr. Aplicar un nombre, un mote, etc., a una persona, un animal o una cosa.

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