In addition to what Michael said about adverbs, I think that we emphasize the "be" verbs in spoken English by stressing them. By "stressing" I mean that we say it slightly longer and louder than the other words in the phrase.
-You're not a native Spanish speaker, are you?
-Yes I AM a native speaker.
-I didn't see Khalid at the party.
-Well he WAS at the party.