EnglishGrade 5ages 10–11

⏪ yesterday + ed

In Hebrew, saying "yesterday" is enough — the verb doesn't have to change. In English, the verb has to change too, and that second step is the one that gets dropped.

Updated September 22, 2026 · Maya Tutor

No card needed. The first lesson is free.

What your child learns

The mistake most kids make here

Try one question

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: Yesterday I walked.

How to help at home

In Hebrew, the word for "yesterday" already tells the listener the story happened in the past — the verb itself can stay the same. English asks for two signals at once: the word "yesterday" and a changed verb.

Try a small game at dinner: ask what your child did today, then ask the same thing about yesterday, and listen for whether the verb changes. "I walk to school" today, "I walked to school" yesterday.

If they say "yesterday I walk," don't just supply "walked." Ask: "did that happen now, or already?" Let them realize the verb needs to catch up with "yesterday," not just the word itself.

A good sign they've got it: they add -ed on their own the moment they hear or say "yesterday," without a reminder — for regular verbs like walk, jump, or play.

Questions parents ask

Why does my child forget the -ed ending?

In Hebrew, one word for "yesterday" carries the whole idea of the past, so the verb itself doesn't need to change. English asks for both — the word and a changed verb — and the second part is easy to drop.

Does every verb just add -ed?

Many do — walk becomes walked, jump becomes jumped. Some, like "was," change in their own way, but the -ed pattern covers most everyday verbs your child uses.

What's a simple way to practice?

Ask about today, then ask the same question about yesterday, and listen specifically for whether the verb changes, not just whether "yesterday" is said.

How does Maya teach this differently from a worksheet?

Maya asks the child to say the same idea twice — now, then yesterday — so they hear the verb itself has to shift, instead of only filling in a blank.

No card needed. The first lesson is free.

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Sources: English Curriculum 2020 for elementary school – Israeli Ministry of Education