Grammar: Simple past with the verb be and other verbs

We use the simple past with the verb be to talk about how things were before.

• I was young when we moved.
• She was a very good student at school.
• He wasn´t very quiet when he was a kid.
• Was it too difficult?
• You were very good students at school.

The structure is:

• If we have an affirmative sentence: We have a subject, then we have the verb be conjugated in past and then we have the complement: + Subject + verb be + complement.
• If it is a negative sentence: We have the subject, then we have the verb be in past, then we have not and after that we have the complement: - Subject + verb be + not + complement.
• If it is a question: Remember that you can always use a WH question before the verb be, then we have the verb be, after that we have the subject and the complement and finally the question mark: ? Verb be + subject + complement + ?
  Always remember to use a question mark at the end. It’s different from spanish because in spanish we have two question marks.

For other verbs, the simple past is formed by adding -ed at the end of the verb:

• We moved to Canada when I was 5.
• I accepted the job and moved to Mexico.
• She didn’t work there for so long.

There are some verbs that change:

• She spoke English and Portuguese.
• He had a very good friend when he was a kid.
• They didn’t spend time watching TV.