Understanding Conditional Statements in Python (if, elif, else)

Understanding Conditional Statements in Python (if, elif, else)

Introduction

Every program needs to make decisions. For example — checking whether a user entered the correct password or whether a number is positive or negative.
In Python, we use conditional statements (if, elif, else) to make such decisions.

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1. The if Statement

The if statement checks a condition — if it’s True, the code inside the block runs.

Example:

x = 10
if x > 5:
    print("x is greater than 5")

 Output:

x is greater than 5

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 2. The if-else Statement

Sometimes, you want one thing to happen when the condition is true and another when it’s false.

Example:

x = 3
if x % 2 == 0:
    print("Even number")
else:
    print("Odd number")

 Output:

Odd number

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 3. The if-elif-else Ladder

When you need to check multiple conditions, use elif (short for “else if”).

Example:

marks = 85

if marks >= 90:
    print("Grade A")
elif marks >= 75:
    print("Grade B")
elif marks >= 50:
    print("Grade C")
else:
    print("Fail")

 Output:

Grade B

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 4. Nested if Statements

You can also use one if statement inside another.

Example:

num = 12
if num > 0:
    if num % 2 == 0:
        print("Positive and Even")

 Output:

Positive and Even

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 5. Real-Life Example

Here’s a small program that decides if a person is eligible to vote.

Example:

age = int(input("Enter your age: "))

if age >= 18:
    print("You are eligible to vote.")
else:
    print("Sorry, you are not eligible to vote.")

 Output:

You are eligible to vote.

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 Quick Tips

• Always indent your Python code properly under if, elif, or else.

• Conditions must evaluate to True or False.

• Use and, or, and not for combining multiple conditions.

Example:

if age > 18 and country == "India":
    print("Eligible voter")

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 Challenge for You

Write a Python program that asks the user for a number and prints:

• “Positive” if it’s greater than 0

• “Negative” if less than 0

• “Zero” otherwise

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 Final Thoughts

Conditional statements are the foundation of logic building in programming.
Practice them well, because they form the core of decision making in every program.