Le passé récent
Bonjour...

I am busy learning about the passé récent in class and I don't understand when you use "venir de" in present tense and when you use it in imparfait. There are examples of both in my book but I don't understand what the difference in meaning is or when to use which tense:

Mes parents viennent de vendre leur maison.
vs.
Quand je suis sortie de chez moi, je venais de finir mes devoirs.

Also, another question, why does it say "je suis sortie de" and not just "je suis sortie"

Any help is appreciated! Merci!

Question

Le passé récent
Bonjour...

I am busy learning about the passé récent in class and I don't understand when you use "venir de" in present tense and when you use it in imparfait. There are examples of both in my book but I don't understand what the difference in meaning is or when to use which tense:

Mes parents viennent de vendre leur maison. 
vs.
Quand je suis sortie de chez moi, je venais de finir mes devoirs.

Also, another question, why does it say "je suis sortie de" and not just "je suis sortie"

Any help is appreciated! Merci!

Answer

Hello, it's the exact same in English.

Mes parents viennent de vendre leur maison. 
= My parents HAVE just sold their house. (present)

Quand je suis sortie de chez moi, je venais de finir mes devoirs. 
= When I went out, I HAD just finished my homework. (past)

"Je suis sortie chez moi" doesn't make sense, it's like saying "I went out home" in English.
We always use the verb 'sortir' with the preposition 'de', meaning 'from/of'. You get out OF your house.