They were / They have been

Question

Hi, I wanted a clarification about how to translate the passive voice. In the example :  « they were welcomed by » in English would be different than « they have been welcomed by ». The first exemple for me : « ils étaient accueillis par » and the second « ils ont été accueilli ». If it is accurate, I had test with translating this first example in French, and after being wrong I was wondering which one was right ?

Céline Pickard · Accepted Answer

Bonjour Jules,
This is a very interesting question!
Ils ont été accueillis par le directeur ce matin = They were welcomed by the headmaster this morning
-> Le Passé Composé is used because it is a completed one-time action, specifically with the time expression "ce matin".
Using L'Imparfait cannot work because of the time expression "ce matin" (= this morning) which refers to a single event. L'Imparfait would imply a past regular action.
Take a look here: Imperfect or perfect
I hope this si helpful.
Bonne journée !