Breakdown of Il y a eu une coupure de courant pendant que nous mangions.
nous
we / us (object pronoun)
il y a
there is / there are
de
of / from / any (in negative sentences) / about (concerning)
manger
to eat
Questions & Answers about Il y a eu une coupure de courant pendant que nous mangions.
Why do we use the passé composé for il y a eu but the imparfait for nous mangions?
This sentence shows a classic interrupted action! Nous mangions (we were eating) sets the ongoing background scene, so it uses the imparfait. Il y a eu (there was) is the sudden, specific event that happened in the middle of our meal, so it uses the passé composé.
How do you get il y a eu from il y a?
The phrase il y a means "there is" or "there are". To talk about a specific event in the past ("there was"), you put the verb part, which is a (from avoir), into the passé composé. The past participle of avoir is eu, so the phrase becomes il y a eu.
Why do we need que after pendant here?
I learned that verbs ending in -ger keep the 'e' to keep the soft 'g' sound. Why is it missing in mangions?