Ils ont pris

Question

Why "ils ont pris le temps"  (passe compose).  It seems to me this should be "ils prenaient les temps"  (imparfait).  This part of the sentence describes the background.  Also, this is an opinion.  I note that the same sentence uses provenaient (imparfait)

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Carl,
That's an excellent question!
Here, "provenaient" is in L'Imparfait because it describes a background information or a state: where the products came from. It’s not about a single completed action (which would tend to trigger the use of Le Passé Composé) but about the ongoing nature or habitual reality of the product origins.
"They took their time" is conjugated in Le Passé Composé because "prendre le temps" refers to a specific, completed action in the past: they did take the time, at one point, to explain something. It's not a recurring or habitual one which would trigger the use of L'Imparfait.
Take a look at the link below:
The difference between imparfait and passe compose
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !