Past Tenses

I was talking on the phone when the battery died. I had been using it all night, and I hadn't charged it.
Past continuous Longer action, interrupted Describe situations or pictures in the past

Past simple Shorter actions, Finished actions Repeated actions in the past

Past Perfect Simple Action that happened before a past action/event

Past Perfect Continuous Ongoing action in the past that has consequences in the past. Importance on the amount of time, duration

I've been to India 10 times. VS I went to India last summer.

I've been cleaning all morning, I'm exhausted. VS I've cleaned the house, now it looks perfect.
Present Perfect Unfinished action, experiences, non-specific time Recent situations

Present Perfect Continuous Unfinished action, focus on duration. Consequences on the present.

I used to go to/ would go to the beach every week when I was younger.
I used to be shorter. I was shorter. I would be shorter.
Used to Past habits and past states

Would Past habits