Learn Swedish: Hon målade tavlan igår. - She painted the painting yesterday.

The verb måla (to paint) is a Group 1 verb. These verbs always end in -a in their base form. To make the past tense, you simply add -de, giving us målade.

Why is it tavlan and not just tavla?

Tavla means a painting or a board. To say the painting, you need the definite form. Since it is an en-word that already ends in a vowel, you just add -n to the end to make tavlan.

Will I always hear the -de ending pronounced when people speak?

Often, no! In casual spoken Swedish, people frequently drop the -de sound from Group 1 verbs in the past tense. You might hear someone say Hon måla tavlan igår, but it must always be written out as målade.

Could I start the sentence with igår instead?

Yes, you can put time words like igår first to emphasize when it happened. But remember the V2 rule (the verb must be in the second position). If you start with the time, the verb and subject must swap places: Igår målade hon tavlan.