If Else Statement in Python (With Examples)

The if else statement in Python runs one block of code when a condition is true and another block when it’s false. You write the condition after if, end the line with a colon, and indent what should run:

if order_total >= 35:
    print("Free shipping")
else:
    print("Shipping: $5.99")

Online-store rules like shipping tiers and sales tax make good examples, so that’s what I used. Everything ran on Python 3.12.5 in the Windows Command Prompt.

You’ll see if/else, elif chains, nested ifs, the one-line form, combining conditions, and the two syntax errors beginners hit most.

Python if else syntax

Only one of the two blocks ever runs. The else part is optional; leave it out when there’s nothing to do on the false side:

order_total = 42.50

if order_total >= 35:
    print("Free shipping")
else:
    print("Shipping: $5.99")

order_total = 19.99
if order_total >= 35:
    print("Free shipping")
else:
    print("Shipping: $5.99")

Output:

Free shipping
Shipping: $5.99

Indentation is the block. Python uses four spaces by convention, and every line in the block needs the same amount.

Using elif for more than two choices

elif (short for else if) adds more conditions. Python checks them from top to bottom and runs only the first one that’s true:

def shipping(total):
    if total >= 100:
        return "free 2-day"
    elif total >= 35:
        return "free ground"
    elif total > 0:
        return "$5.99 ground"
    else:
        return "empty cart"

for total in [150.00, 42.50, 12.00, 0]:
    print(f"${total:>7.2f} -> {shipping(total)}")

Output:

$ 150.00 -> free 2-day
$  42.50 -> free ground
$  12.00 -> $5.99 ground
$   0.00 -> empty cart

Order matters. If I’d put total >= 35 first, a $150 order would stop there and never get 2-day shipping. Put the strictest test at the top.

Nested if statements in Python

An if inside another if handles decisions that depend on an earlier one, like shipping rules that only apply to Alaska and Hawaii:

def can_ship(state, weight_lb):
    if state in ("AK", "HI"):
        if weight_lb > 50:
            return "freight only"
        else:
            return "air mail"
    else:
        return "ground"

print(can_ship("TX", 12))
print(can_ship("HI", 8))
print(can_ship("AK", 70))

Output:

ground
air mail
freight only

Nesting more than two levels gets hard to read. I usually flatten it with elif or by returning early from a function, as shipping() above does.

How do you write if else in one line in Python?

Use a conditional expression: value_if_true if condition else value_if_false. It picks a value, so it fits on the right side of an assignment:

total = 42.50

label = "free" if total >= 35 else "paid"         # conditional expression
print(label)

fee = 0 if total >= 35 else 5.99
print(f"fee: ${fee:.2f}")

if total > 0: print("cart has items")             # legal, but keep it for tiny cases

Output:

free
fee: $0.00
cart has items

Keep one-liners for simple choices. Using if else in a list comprehension shows the same expression inside a comprehension.

Combining conditions with and, or and not

A single if can test several things at once. in checks membership, and empty values like "", 0 and [] count as false:

state, total, member = "CO", 60.00, True

if total >= 50 and member:
    print("member discount applies")

if state == "TX" or state == "CO":
    print("ships from Denver warehouse")

if state not in ("AK", "HI"):
    print("ground shipping available")

coupon = ""
if not coupon:                 # empty string counts as False
    print("no coupon entered")

Output:

member discount applies
ships from Denver warehouse
ground shipping available
no coupon entered

if not coupon is the usual way to check for an empty string. The if not condition in Python covers more truthiness cases.

Common if else errors: expected ‘:’ and IndentationError

Two mistakes cause most broken if statements: a missing colon and a block that isn’t indented. Here’s what Python reports for each:

code = 'total = 40\nif total >= 35\n    print("free")\n'
try:
    compile(code, "order.py", "exec")
except SyntaxError as err:
    print("SyntaxError:", err.msg, "| line", err.lineno)

code = 'total = 40\nif total >= 35:\nprint("free")\n'
try:
    compile(code, "order.py", "exec")
except SyntaxError as err:
    print(type(err).__name__ + ":", err.msg, "| line", err.lineno)

Output:

SyntaxError: expected ':' | line 2
IndentationError: expected an indented block after 'if' statement on line 2 | line 3

elif and else also need to line up exactly with their if. An else indented one level too far gives you an invalid syntax error.

if, elif and else at a glance

Keyword	When it runs	Required?
if	When its condition is true	Yes, always first
elif	When earlier tests failed and its own is true	No, any number
else	When every test above was false	No, at most one, always last

When you’re comparing one value against many fixed options, the match-case statement can read more cleanly than a long elif chain.

Ready to use conditions in real code? These guides build on them:

• Conditional statements and loops
• Exit an if statement in Python
• Python while loop
• Python for loop
• Check the type of a variable

Frequently asked questions