Here's the verb tense list of basic grammar tenses, including all possible names of the tenses.

1. Simple Present or Present Simple

e.g., I play, you play, she/he/it plays, we play, they play

2. Present Progressive, Present Continuous, Simple Present Progressive or Simple Present
Continuous
e.g., I am playing, you are playing, she/he/it is playing, we are playing, they are playing
3. Simple Past or Past Simple
e.g., I played, you played, he/she/it played, we played, they played
4. Past Progressive, Past Continuous, Simple Past Progressive or Simple Past Continuous
e.g., I was playing, you were playing, she/he/it was playing, we were playing, they were
playing
5. Present Perfect or Simple Present Perfect
e.g., I have played, you have played, he/she/it has played, we have played, they have
played
6. Present Perfect Progressive or Present Perfect Continuous
e.g., I have been playing, you have been playing, he/she/it has been playing, we have
been playing, they have been playing
English Grammar - The tenses

One sentence is put into different tenses. You can see how the meaning changes.

The words in green are signal words. They tell you which tense you have to use.

Tense Example Explanation

Simple
I play football every week. Here you want to say that it happens regularly.
Present
Present Here you want to say that it is happening at the
I'm playing football now.
Progressive moment.
Simple Past I played football yesterday. You did it yesterday, it happened in the past.
Past I was playing football the You were doing it in the past. It's not sure whether the
Progressive whole evening. action was finished or not.
Present You have just finished it. So it has a connection to the
I have just played football.
Perfect present. Maybe your clothes are dirty.
Present You want to say how long you have been doing it.
I have been playing football
Perfect (You started in the past and it continues up to the
for 2 hours.
Progressive present.
I had played football before The two actions are related to each other: you had
Past Perfect
Susan came. finished to play football and after that the girl arrived.
Past Perfect I had been playing football Here you want to point out how long you had been
Progressive when Susan came. doing it before the girl came.
I will play football next This is a prediction, you can probably do something
will-future
week. else.
going to- I'm going to play football
This is a plan you've made.
future this afternoon.
Future I will be playing football
You do it every Sunday (as usual)
Progressive next Sunday.
I will have played football
Future Perfect You will have done it before tomorrow.
by tomorrow.
Conditional
I would play football. You'll probably do it.
Simple
Conditional You'll probably do it. Here you concentrate more on
I would be playing football.
Progressive the progress of the action.
You'll probably have finished playing football at a
Conditional I would have played
special time in the future. Here you concentrate on the
Perfect football.
fact (football).
Conditional You'll probably have finished playing football at a
I would have been playing
Perfect special time in the future. Here you concentrate on the
football.
Progressive progress of playing (football).

Negations of the sentences

 Tense Example
I do not play football every week.
Simple Present
I don't play football every week.
I am not playing football now.
Present Progressive
I'm not playing football now.
I did not play football yesterday.
Simple Past
I didn't play football yesterday.
I was not playing football yesterday.
Past Progressive
I wasn't playing football yesterday.
I have not played football.
Present Perfect I haven't played football.
I've not played football.
I have not been playing football.
Present Perfect Progressive I haven't been playing football.
I've not been playing football.
I had not played football.
Past Perfect I hadn't played football.
I'd not played football.
I had not been playing football.
Past Perfect Progressive I hadn't been playing football.
I'd not been playing football.
I will/shall not play football next week.
will-future
I won't play football next week.
I am not going to play football this afternoon.
going to-future
I'm not going to play football this afternoon.
I will/shall not be playing football.
Future Progressive
I won't be playing football.
I will/shall not have played football.
Future Perfect
I won't have played football.
I would not play football.
Conditional Simple
I'd not play football.
I would not be playing football.
Conditional Progressive I wouldn't be playing football.
I'd not be playing football.
I would not have played football.
Conditional Perfect I wouldn't have played football.
I'd not have played football.
I would not have been playing football.
Conditional Perfect Progressive I wouldn't have been playing football.
I'd not have been playing football.

Questions

Tense Example
Simple Present Do you play football?
Present Progressive Are you playing football?
Simple Past Did you play football?
Past Progressive Were you playing football?
Present Perfect Have you played football?
Present Perfect Progressive Have you been playing football?
Past Perfect Had you played football?
Past Perfect Progressive Had you been playing football?
will-future Will you play football?
going to-future Are you going to play football?
Future Progressive Will you be playing football?
Future Perfect Will you have played football?
Conditional Simple Would you play football?
Conditional Progressive Would you be playing football?
Conditional Perfect Would you have played football?
Conditional Perfect Progressive Would you have been playing football?