Is it possible to say "La souris était mangée par le chat. -- The mouse was eaten by the cat."?

Mark H.C1Kwiziq community member

Is it possible to say "La souris était mangée par le chat. -- The mouse was eaten by the cat."?

How is this sentence different from "La souris a été mangée par le chat. -- The mouse was eaten by the cat.", please? Thank you. This is something I get stuck on a lot.
Asked 6 years ago
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

To your first question: yes it is possible. The difference is that 

... était mangée is imparfait and

... a été mangée is passé composé. 

Mark H.C1Kwiziq community member
Thank you. But when would you use the imparfait and when would passé composé? What's the difference in meaning here between the two tenses? (Assuming you were the cat.)
Mark H.C1Kwiziq community member
Sorry, I meant: "But when would you use the imparfait and when would you use the passé composé?"
Chris W.C1 Kwiziq Q&A super contributor

Usage of imparfait vs. passé composé is a separate topic in itself which I can't answer exhaustively in a short post. There are several lessons on this topic on kwiziq, however. I suggest you either browse the Library or progress through the lessons until the start to appear naturally in your lesson plan.

Or, alternatively, if you're impatient, why not try Google?

Mark H.C1Kwiziq community member
Thank you, Chris.

Is it possible to say "La souris était mangée par le chat. -- The mouse was eaten by the cat."?

How is this sentence different from "La souris a été mangée par le chat. -- The mouse was eaten by the cat.", please? Thank you. This is something I get stuck on a lot.

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