what if a person says "she came from" ... Does one use the past tense, or the present tense of venir? What tense is used if "she was from..."m

Question

Accepted Answer

Bonjour S,

Elle vient de Paris = She comes/is from Paris -> Présent - introducing yourself 
Elle est (originaire) de Paris = She come/is is from Paris -> Présent - introducing yourself

Elle venait de Paris = She came/is from Paris -> Imparfait - description / background information
Elle est venue de Paris = She came from Paris -> Passé -Composé - completed action / travelled via Paris

Elle était (originaire) de Paris = She came/was from Paris -> Imparfait - description / background information
Le Passé Composé wouldn't work with 'être de + [city]' as it would imply a completed action that is no longer true. This makes no sense as you are always from somewhere.
I hope this is helpful.
Bonne journée !

Answer

That really depends on what you want to say.

She came from the movies. -- Elle est venue du cinéma.
Flaubert came from Rouen. -- Flaubert venait du Rouen.
He comes from Austria. -- Il vient de l'Autriche.