Your first 5 prompts — copy, paste, see what happens
You don’t need to be clever. You just need to be clear.
Most people overthink their first prompt. They wonder if they’re “doing it right.” They worry about saying the wrong thing.
Here’s the truth: AI responds well to normal sentences. You don’t need special syntax. You don’t need to know any tricks. Just tell it what you want like you’d tell a person.
The five prompts below are ready to copy. Each one shows you something different AI can do.
Prompt 1 — Explain something confusing
"Explain inflation to me like I'm 14 years old. Keep it under 100 words."
What you’ll notice: AI adjusts its language to match your instruction. The “like I’m 14” part changes everything about how it answers. You can replace “inflation” with any concept you’ve been pretending to understand at dinner parties.
Prompt 2 — Write something for you
"Write a short, friendly email to my landlord asking if I can have a cat. I've been a reliable tenant for 2 years. Keep it under 100 words."
What you’ll notice: AI writes the whole thing from a short description. You can then edit it, ask it to make it more formal, or try again with different details. Think of it as a first draft machine.
Prompt 3 — Help you think through a decision
"I'm thinking about switching jobs. I currently earn €35k with great colleagues and flexible hours. The new offer is €45k but I'd have a 1-hour commute and no remote work. Help me think through the pros and cons."
What you’ll notice: AI is genuinely useful as a thinking partner. It will raise angles you might not have considered. It won’t tell you what to do — but it helps you think more clearly.
Prompt 4 — Summarise something long
"Here is an article. Please summarise the 3 most important points in plain English: [paste any article text here]"
What you’ll notice: Paste any long text — a news article, a work document, a report — and AI distills it instantly. This alone can save you hours every week.
Prompt 5 — Ask it to improve your writing
"Here is something I wrote. Make it clearer and more direct, but keep my voice: [paste your text here]"
What you’ll notice: AI edits without erasing you. The “keep my voice” instruction matters — without it, AI can make writing sound generic. Try it on an email you’ve been struggling with.
The one thing to remember
AI works best when you give it context. Instead of “write me an email”, say “write me a professional email to a client who missed a meeting, keeping the tone warm but clear.” The more specific you are, the better the output.
Pick any one of the five prompts above. Go to claude.ai or chatgpt.com, paste it in, and try changing one word or detail. See how the output changes. That's the core skill — learning to adjust your prompt until you get what you need.