I think the explanation from mikity is more or less correct. I agree with her and my opinion is as follows.
I haven't counted how many different endings there are but I'm sure that there are so many!! I think the best way to learn them is to imitate just same as we say and to be corrected when you make mistakes.
I think verbs which end u sounds like 見る(miru), 聞く(kiku), or 話す(hanasu) are usually the basic forms of verbs.
The ends must be changed according to what words continue after the verbs, when you do so or the events happen, whom you talk to, or etc.
For example, 見ない, 見なかった, 見えない, 見たら, 見ると, 見て, 見ます, 見ました, 見た.....etc.
I dont think you have to learn them by heart. You will come to be able to use them fluently after you use them many times and make a lot of mistakes. Just relax and enjoy talking with Japanse. Sometimes Japanse might laugh at your mistakes but it's ok because such mistakes are unforgetable so you would never make the same mistakes again. Just laugh together^^ huhuh
When I visited Canada, I wanted to say "my mother was pregnant with me" but I said "I was pregnant". I didnt know how to say that correctly at the moment. My Canadian friend told me how to say it. We laughed so much lol, huhuhuh^^