Always consider which of the following tense you should use:
Present simple:
- things that are always true (the sky is blue)
- general statements of fact (I was born in 1982)
- habits (I go to sleep every night at 11 pm)
Present continuous:
- an action at the moment of speaking
- something in progress this week, month or year
- to talk about a future planned event
Present Perfect:
- an action that took place at an indefinite time in the past
- an action that was repeated before now
- an action that began in the past and continues until now
Present Perfect Continuous:
- to show the duration of something that happened in the past and continues until now
- a general activity in progress recently
Past Simple
- an action that began in the past and finished in the past
- Past Continuous
- talk about an action that was happening in the past when another occurred
- an action that was in progress at a specific time in the past
Past Perfect
- talk about something that was completed before another activity or another time in the past
Past Perfect Continuous
- talk about duration of activity that was in progress before another event in the past
- an activity in progress that is recent to another time or activity in the past
Future Simple
- to predict or plan for the future
- to express a willingness to do something
Future Continuous
- an action that will be in progress at a time in the future
Future Perfect
- an action that will be completed before another time or event in the future
Future Perfect Continuous
- the duration of an action that will be in progress before another time or event in the future