Tense
Use
Example
I play
Present Simple
I am playing
Present
Continuous
Present
Perf.Simple
-Experiences up to now.
I have been
playing
Present Perf.
Cont.
I played
Past Simple
I was playing
Past
Continuous
I had played
Past Perfect
Simple
I had been
playing
Past Perfect
Cont.
-Predictions
I will play
Future Simple
-Spontaneous
decisions/offers
I will be
playing
Future
Continuous
I will have
played
Future Perfect
I will have
been playing
Future Perfect
Cont.
I would play
Conditional
Simple
Probable action in an
imaginary situation
I would be
playing
Conditional
Cont.
Continuous action in an
imaginary situation
I would have
played
Conditional
Perfect
Speculation about
imaginary situations in the
past.
I would have
Conditional
Continuous hypothetical
been playing
Perf.Continuou
s
situations.