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Python groups operators according to a defined precedence order: arithmetic before comparisons, comparisons before not, then and, then or. Parentheses can make the intended grouping explicit. Conditions use truth-value testing, while if statements choose which code runs and conditional expressions choose a value.
How Python groups operators
When an expression contains multiple operators, Python follows its precedence rules to determine which parts to evaluate first. For a quick refresher, remember this order from tighter to looser grouping:
- Arithmetic operators
- Comparison operators, including
==,in, andis notandor- The conditional expression,
x if condition else y
For example, price > 0 and stock > 0 or backorder groups as ((price > 0) and (stock > 0)) or backorder. Parentheses override default grouping and are worthwhile whenever they make the intended logic easier to scan: (price > 0 and stock > 0) or backorder.
The complete precedence table is in the Python 3.14.7 language reference. This sequence is a practical refresher, not an exhaustive operator catalog.
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Comparisons: equality, membership, identity, and chains
Comparison operators include several distinct kinds of tests. == asks whether two objects compare as equal; is asks whether they are the same object. Use in to test membership in a container.
status == "ready"checks value equality."py" in "python"checks whether one value occurs in another.item is Nonechecks identity with the singletonNone.
Equality and identity are not interchangeable: two distinct objects can compare equal. Membership, identity, and value-comparison operators share a precedence level.
Python also supports comparison chains. For example, 0 <= score < 100 means 0 <= score and score < 100, with score evaluated only once. If the first comparison is false, Python does not evaluate the later comparison. A chain therefore tests adjacent relationships; it does not skip the middle value.
Truth values and Boolean operators
In conditions and Boolean operations, Python treats False, None, numeric zero of any type, and empty strings and containers as false. Empty containers include strings, tuples, lists, dictionaries, sets, and frozensets. Other values are true by default, although a user-defined object can customize its truth value with __bool__(). See the language reference on Boolean operations.
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and and or short-circuit: they may return one of their operands rather than a Boolean. not, by contrast, returns a Boolean.
| Operator | Evaluation and result | Example |
|---|---|---|
a and b |
Evaluates a first. If a is false, returns a without evaluating b; otherwise evaluates and returns b. |
name and name.strip() |
a or b |
Evaluates a first. If a is true, returns a without evaluating b; otherwise evaluates and returns b. |
display_name or "Anonymous" |
not a |
Returns True when a is false, and False when it is true. |
not is_complete |
These operators are useful for concise conditions and fallback values, but operand-return behavior matters. For instance, display_name or "Anonymous" returns the original nonempty name, or the fallback string when the name is false. It does not necessarily return True or False.
Use if statements to choose which code runs
An if statement runs a suite of statements when its condition is true. Add elif branches for further conditions and an optional else for the remaining case:
if score >= 90:
grade = "A"
elif score >= 80:
grade = "B"
else:
grade = "Needs review"Python tests the branches in order and runs the suite for the first true condition; if none is true, it runs the else suite when one is present. Because empty collections and other false values count as false, if items: is a common way to check whether a collection has contents.
Use a conditional expression to choose a value
When you need one value rather than separate statement blocks, use the conditional expression value_if_true if condition else value_if_false:
label = "adult" if age >= 18 else "minor"The Python language reference describes it this way: “A conditional expression (sometimes called a ‘ternary operator’) is an alternative to the if-else statement.” It is an expression that produces a value, and it has lower precedence than the operators listed above. Prefer a regular if statement when the choice involves multiple actions or when an inline expression would be difficult to read; nested conditional expressions are especially easy to misread.
For the authoritative operator rules, consult the Python 3.14.7 expressions reference and the reference for the if statement.
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