List Comprehensions in Python (Basic) with Examples
List comprehensions provide a concise way to create lists in Python. They are more readable and often faster than using loops.
Basic Syntax:
python
[expression for item in iterable if condition]
Example 1: Simple List Comprehension
Create a list of squares from 0 to 9.
Using Loop:
python
squares = []
for x in range(10):
squares.append(x ** 2)
print(squares) # Output: [0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81]
Using List Comprehension:
python
squares = [x ** 2 for x in range(10)] print(squares) # Output: [0, 1, 4, 9, 16, 25, 36, 49, 64, 81]
Example 2: List Comprehension with Condition
Create a list of even numbers from 0 to 10.
Using Loop:
python
evens = []
for x in range(11):
if x % 2 == 0:
evens.append(x)
print(evens) # Output: [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
Using List Comprehension:
python
evens = [x for x in range(11) if x % 2 == 0] print(evens) # Output: [0, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10]
Example 3: Nested List Comprehension
Convert a 2D list into a 1D list (flattening).
Given:
python
matrix = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]]
Using Loop:
python
flattened = []
for row in matrix:
for num in row:
flattened.append(num)
print(flattened) # Output: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Using List Comprehension:
python
flattened = [num for row in matrix for num in row] print(flattened) # Output: [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]
Example 4: List Comprehension with if-else
Convert numbers to “even” or “odd” in a list.
Using Loop:
python
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = []
for x in numbers:
if x % 2 == 0:
result.append("even")
else:
result.append("odd")
print(result) # Output: ['odd', 'even', 'odd', 'even', 'odd']
Using List Comprehension:
python
numbers = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
result = ["even" if x % 2 == 0 else "odd" for x in numbers]
print(result) # Output: ['odd', 'even', 'odd', 'even', 'odd']
1. Filtering with Multiple Conditions
Get numbers between 10 and 50 that are divisible by 3 or 7.
Using Loop:
python
result = []
for num in range(10, 51):
if num % 3 == 0 or num % 7 == 0:
result.append(num)
Using List Comprehension:
python
result = [num for num in range(10, 51) if num % 3 == 0 or num % 7 == 0] # Output: [12, 14, 15, 18, 21, 24, 27, 28, 30, 33, 35, 36, 39, 42, 45, 48, 49]
2. Applying Functions to Elements
Convert a list of strings to uppercase and exclude short words (length < 4).
Using Loop:
python
words = ["apple", "cat", "dog", "banana", "kiwi"]
filtered = []
for word in words:
if len(word) >= 4:
filtered.append(word.upper())
Using List Comprehension:
python
words = ["apple", "cat", "dog", "banana", "kiwi"] filtered = [word.upper() for word in words if len(word) >= 4] # Output: ['APPLE', 'BANANA', 'KIWI']
3. Creating a List of Tuples (Cartesian Product)
Generate all possible (x, y) pairs where x is from [1, 2, 3] and y is from ['a', 'b'].
Using Loop:
python
pairs = []
for x in [1, 2, 3]:
for y in ['a', 'b']:
pairs.append((x, y))
Using List Comprehension:
python
pairs = [(x, y) for x in [1, 2, 3] for y in ['a', 'b']] # Output: [(1, 'a'), (1, 'b'), (2, 'a'), (2, 'b'), (3, 'a'), (3, 'b')]
4. Flattening a 2D List with Condition
Extract even numbers from a nested list.
Given:
python
matrix = [[1, 2, 3], [4, 5, 6], [7, 8, 9]]
Using Loop:
python
evens = []
for row in matrix:
for num in row:
if num % 2 == 0:
evens.append(num)
Using List Comprehension:
python
evens = [num for row in matrix for num in row if num % 2 == 0] # Output: [2, 4, 6, 8]
5. Dictionary Comprehension Inside List Comprehension
Convert a list of names into a list of dictionaries with name and length keys.
Using Loop:
python
names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
result = []
for name in names:
result.append({"name": name, "length": len(name)})
Using List Comprehension:
python
names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"]
result = [{"name": name, "length": len(name)} for name in names]
# Output: [{'name': 'Alice', 'length': 5}, {'name': 'Bob', 'length': 3}, {'name': 'Charlie', 'length': 7}]
6. Using enumerate() in List Comprehension
Get only even-indexed elements from a list.
Using Loop:
python
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry"]
filtered = []
for i, fruit in enumerate(fruits):
if i % 2 == 0:
filtered.append(fruit)
Using List Comprehension:
python
fruits = ["apple", "banana", "cherry", "date", "elderberry"] filtered = [fruit for i, fruit in enumerate(fruits) if i % 2 == 0] # Output: ['apple', 'cherry', 'elderberry']
7. Simulating zip() with List Comprehension
Combine two lists element-wise.
Given:
python
names = ["Alice", "Bob", "Charlie"] ages = [25, 30, 35]
Using Loop:
python
combined = []
for name, age in zip(names, ages):
combined.append(f"{name} is {age} years old")
Using List Comprehension:
python
combined = [f"{name} is {age} years old" for name, age in zip(names, ages)]
# Output: ['Alice is 25 years old', 'Bob is 30 years old', 'Charlie is 35 years old']
8. Handling Exceptions in List Comprehension
Convert strings to integers safely, ignoring invalid entries.
Using Loop:
python
data = ["10", "20", "thirty", "40"]
numbers = []
for item in data:
try:
numbers.append(int(item))
except ValueError:
pass
Using List Comprehension (with a helper function):
python
def safe_int(x):
try:
return int(x)
except ValueError:
return None
data = ["10", "20", "thirty", "40"]
numbers = [safe_int(x) for x in data if safe_int(x) is not None]
# Output: [10, 20, 40]
