Simple Past or Present Perfect
I (be born) in Brazil
was born - Simple Past
They (live) in 5 countries so far.
have lived - Present Perfect
You (love) chocolate since you were a child
have loved - Present Perfect
They (move) several times before they settled in N.Y.
had moved - Past Perfect
Interrupted action in the past
Past continuous
I (work) in several companies before this.
have worked - Present Perfect
She (not/do) her homework yet.
hasn't done - Present Perfect
I (work out) a lot this week for the competition on Saturday.
have been working out - Pres. P. Continuous
She (wait) for 2 hours before the doctor finally agreed to see her.
had been waiting - Past P. Continuous
Facts, habits, routines in past
Simple Past
I (leave school) in 2022.
left school - Simple Past
They (not/meet) before the party last month.
hadn't met - Past Perfect
She (know) her best friend for 12 years!
has known - Present Perfect
It (be) very cold before it started snowing.
had been - Past Perfect
Recent periods
Present Perfect
She (be) here many times before.
has been - Present Perfect
It (be) 20 minutes before I realised that the dog was missing.
had been - Past Perfect
He (clean) that window for 40 minutes now and it still looks dirty!
has been cleaning - Pres. P. Continuous
He (drink) so much he couldn't even walk straight.
had been drinking - Past P. Continuous
Periods before an action in past but still happening now
Present Perfect Continuous
It (rain) so much lately.
has rained - Present Perfec
She (give up) on the test even before she took it.
had given up - Past Perfect
It (rain) non-stop since the morning, I'm worried about floods!!
has been raining - Pres. P. Continuous
I (work) on that project long before you asked me to.
had been working - Past P. Continuous
Experience before specific time in past - Past of Past
Past Perfect