Python Tutorial
Introduction
Python Data Types & Oper...
Python Strings
Python Lists
Python Tuples
Python Sets
Python Dictionaries
Conditional Statements
Python Loops
Python Functions
Python Modules
Python OOPS
Advanced Topics
File Handling
Python List Indexes
When you create a list in Python, every item inside it gets its own unique index number. This helps you access or work with specific items easily.
Think of a list like a shelf. Each book (item) has its own position (index), and you can pick one just by pointing to its place.
Accessing Items Using Positive Indexes
Python indexes start from 0. So the first item is at index 0, the second is at 1, and so on.
fruits = ["Apple", "Mango", "Banana", "Orange", "Peach"]
print(fruits[0]) # First item
print(fruits[2]) # Third item
print(fruits[4]) # Fifth item
Output:
Apple
Banana
Peach
Accessing Items Using Negative Indexes
Negative indexes let you start counting from the end of the list. -1 is the last item, -2 is second-last, and so on.
fruits = ["Apple", "Mango", "Banana", "Orange", "Peach"]
print(fruits[-1]) # Last item
print(fruits[-3]) # Third from end
print(fruits[-5]) # First item
Output:
Peach
Banana
Apple
Checking if an Item Exists
You can check whether a certain item exists in the list using the in keyword.
colors = ["Red", "Blue", "Green", "Yellow"]
if "Green" in colors:
print("Green is in the list.")
if "Purple" not in colors:
print("Purple is not in the list.")
Output:
Green is in the list.
Purple is not in the list.
Slicing: Accessing a Range of Items
You can extract multiple items by slicing the list using:
list[start : end : step]
Note: start is included, end is not. Step is optional.
Example 1: Slice Using Positive Indexes
animals = ["Lion", "Tiger", "Elephant", "Zebra", "Deer", "Wolf", "Bear"]
print(animals[1:5])
Output:
['Tiger', 'Elephant', 'Zebra', 'Deer']
Example 2: Slice Using Negative Indexes
print(animals[-6:-2])
Output:
['Tiger', 'Elephant', 'Zebra', 'Deer']
Example 3: From Middle to End
print(animals[3:])
Output:
['Zebra', 'Deer', 'Wolf', 'Bear']
Example 4: From Start to Middle
print(animals[:4])
Output:
['Lion', 'Tiger', 'Elephant', 'Zebra']
Skipping Items With Step
You can skip elements by giving a step size.
print(animals[::2]) # Every second item
Output:
['Lion', 'Elephant', 'Deer', 'Bear']
Custom Step With Range
Let’s pick every 3rd item from a portion of the list:
print(animals[1:7:3])
Output:
['Tiger', 'Deer']
Summary
Indexes start from 0 (or -1 from the end).
Slicing lets you access a range of items.
Step lets you skip through the list.
Use
into check if an item exists.
This is the foundation of working with data in Python lists — simple, fast, and flexible. Let’s move forward to updating and modifying these items!