if / elif / else

Prerequisites: Conditional statements

elif ("else if") checks another condition when the first one is false; else catches everything else.

Syntax

if condition_1:
    ...
elif condition_2:
    ...
else:
    ...

Example

age = 15

if age >= 18:
    print("Adult")
elif age >= 13:
    print("Teenager")
else:
    print("Child")

Expected output

Teenager

Python checks each condition top to bottom and runs only the first block whose condition is True — the rest are skipped entirely, even if they'd also be true.

Common mistakes

Using several separate if statements when elif was intended — with separate ifs, more than one block can run; with elif, at most one does.

Practice

Write a program that assigns a score variable and prints "Pass" if it's 50 or above, otherwise "Fail".

Show solution

score = 42

if score >= 50:
    print("Pass")
else:
    print("Fail")