EnglishGrade 3ages 8–9
🏃 I can run
A child who says 'I am run' is usually reaching for a word that means ability, and landing on am because it's the verb they already know well.
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Download on the App StoreWhat your child learns
- I can run. can = able.
- I can't fly. A person does not fly.
- After can comes a short verb: run, jump. Not I am run.
- I am tired is a state. I can run is ability.
The mistake most kids make here
I am run, or treating can like am.
Try one question
We are able to run. Which is right?
To run
- I am run
- I can run
- I can to run
Answer
I can run — Yes. After can comes a short verb: run, jump. Not to run.
How Maya teaches it
Your child tells Maya what they did in class. She teaches this topic at her desk, asks questions with tappable answers, and when the answer is wrong she explains why that answer was tempting instead of saying “try again”. She remembers what did not land and comes back to it.
Your child has it when they can: Say I can run and I can't fly.
How to help at home
Can means able to do something: I can run, I can jump. After can, a short plain verb follows directly — no extra word needed.
Am describes a state, like I am tired or I am happy. It doesn't combine with an action word the way can does, which is why 'I am run' doesn't work.
Practice pairs out loud: 'I can run. I can jump. I can swim.' Then contrast with a state: 'I am tired. I am hungry.' Hearing both side by side makes the difference concrete.
A good sign they've got it: they use can automatically when talking about what they're able to do, and am only for how they feel or what they are.
Questions parents ask
- Why does my child say 'I am run' instead of 'I can run'?
- They know am well from sentences like 'I am tired,' and reach for it when they mean ability instead of the correct word, can.
- What comes after can in English?
- A short plain verb with no extra ending: can run, can jump, can swim — never 'can to run' or 'can running.'
- How is can different from am?
- Can describes ability to do something. Am describes a state or feeling, like being tired or happy. They aren't interchangeable.
- How does Maya teach this?
- Maya gives a real sentence about ability and asks the child to choose between options like 'I am run,' 'I can run,' and 'I can to run,' so they practice picking the right pattern in context.
No card needed. The first lesson is free.
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Sources: English Curriculum 2020 for elementary school – Israeli Ministry of Education