Python is the most approachable programming language in the world — and also one of the most powerful. In this tutorial, you'll go from zero to a working program in 30 minutes.

Installing Python

Download from python.org. During installation on Windows, check "Add Python to PATH". On macOS, brew install python works too. Verify with:

python3 --version  # should print "Python 3.x.x"

Your First Program

print("Hello, world!")

Save as hello.py and run with python3 hello.py. That's it — you're a programmer now.

Variables and Types

name = "Alice"           # string
age = 30                 # integer
height = 1.68            # float
is_student = False       # boolean

print(f"{name} is {age} years old")  # f-strings!

Conditionals

score = 85
if score >= 90:
    print("A")
elif score >= 80:
    print("B")
elif score >= 70:
    print("C")
else:
    print("Need improvement")

Lists and Loops

fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry"]
fruits.append("date")
print(fruits[0])          # "apple"

for fruit in fruits:
    print(fruit.upper())

# List comprehension (Python's superpower)
squares = [x**2 for x in range(10)]
# → [0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81]

Dictionaries

user = {
    "name": "Alice",
    "email": "alice@example.com",
    "age": 30
}
print(user["name"])
user["city"] = "New York"  # add a key

for key, value in user.items():
    print(f"{key}: {value}")

Functions

def greet(name, greeting="Hello"):
    return f"{greeting}, {name}!"

print(greet("Alice"))               # "Hello, Alice!"
print(greet("Bob", "Howdy"))        # "Howdy, Bob!"

Working with Files

# Read a file
with open("data.txt", "r") as f:
    content = f.read()

# Write a file
with open("output.txt", "w") as f:
    f.write("Hello, file!")

Error Handling

try:
    result = 10 / 0
except ZeroDivisionError:
    print("Can't divide by zero!")
finally:
    print("This always runs")

A Complete Mini-Program

import json

def load_todos():
    try:
        with open("todos.json") as f:
            return json.load(f)
    except FileNotFoundError:
        return []

def save_todos(todos):
    with open("todos.json", "w") as f:
        json.dump(todos, f, indent=2)

def main():
    todos = load_todos()
    while True:
        cmd = input("add/show/quit: ").lower()
        if cmd == "add":
            todos.append(input("Task: "))
            save_todos(todos)
        elif cmd == "show":
            for i, t in enumerate(todos, 1):
                print(f"{i}. {t}")
        elif cmd == "quit":
            break

main()

Where to Go Next

  • Automate the Boring Stuff — free Python book, perfect for practical learners
  • Real Python — excellent tutorials from beginner to advanced
  • Build something — a CLI tool, a simple web scraper, a TODO app. Anything.

The secret to learning Python: start building things immediately. Don't get stuck in tutorial hell.