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What happens when code breaks?

You’ve learned Python syntax rules. But what happens when you break them? Your code won’t run, and Python will show you an error message. This might feel frustrating at first, but errors are actually helpful - they tell you exactly what went wrong and where.

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Your first error

Let’s create an error on purpose. Try running this code: 
print("Hello World)
When you run this, Python shows: 
  File "hello.py", line 1
    print("Hello World)
          ^
SyntaxError: unterminated string literal (detected at line 1)
Don’t panic! This is Python trying to help you.

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How to read errors

Python errors have three parts:
  1. Where it happened: File "hello.py", line 1
  2. What went wrong: SyntaxError: unterminated string literal
  3. The arrow: Points to the exact spot
In our example, we forgot the closing quote mark. Python noticed and told us exactly where.

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Errors are normal

Every programmer sees errors daily. The difference between beginners and experts? Experts have seen more errors and learned from them. Reading errors gets easier with practice. At first they look scary, but soon you’ll read them like road signs.

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AI helps with errors

When you’re stuck on an error:
  1. Copy the entire error message
  2. Paste it into Claude, ChatGPT, or your favorite AI tool
  3. Add your code for context
AI tools are excellent at explaining errors and suggesting fixes. They’ve seen millions of errors and can quickly spot what’s wrong.
Don’t feel bad about using AI for errors! Even experienced developers use AI to debug tricky problems. It’s a tool, just like Python itself.

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What’s next?

Now that you understand syntax and errors, let’s start writing real Python code with variables!

Variables

Store and use data in Python