I WAS a good English learner

Question

Does it sound like I'm dead if I say "I WAS a good English learner"?
So we usually use past tense to talk about a dead person?
I danced a dance last week and I want to ask if I danced a good dance, so can I ask "Was I a good dancer last week at the party?"
Does it sound like I'm dead if I ask "Was I a good dancer last week at the party?'

Fivejedjon · Accepted Answer

CharmYouDoes it sound like I'm dead if I say "I WAS a good English learner"?

If you say those words, nobody is going to think you are dead. However, unless you are going to add something like '... when I was younger", the words aren't very natural. We'd probably say "I used to be a good English student", "I ised to be able to learn English with no problems".

CharmYouDoes it sound like I'm dead if I ask "Was I a good dancer last week at the party?'

No

CalifJim · Answer

CharmYouDoes it sound like I'm dead if I say "I WAS a good English learner"?

No. If you're saying it, you must be alive because dead men don't talk.

CharmYouwe usually use past tense to talk about a dead person?

Yes we do. We can use the past tense to talk about anyone, living or dead. We rarely use the present tense to talk about dead people, except to say, for example, where they are buried, or to retell a story about them in an especially vivid style: So then he (the dead person) goes to her and says ..., and then he finds out that she ..., so he thinks that ..., but he is mistaken because he doesn't know that ....

CJ

I WAS a good English learner

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