Two people can ask the same AI chatbot for help and get very different results. One types "write letter" and gets something stiff and useless. The other explains who the letter is for, what it should say and how long it should be, and gets a near-perfect draft in seconds. The difference is the prompt: the instruction you give the AI. You do not need technical skills to write good prompts, just a simple habit. This is Part 42 of our Tech for Beginners series. Today we will learn an easy prompt formula, see it in action with everyday Indian examples such as letters, recipes, study help and travel, learn how to ask good follow-up questions, and get answers in Indian languages.
Writing a good prompt is a lot like the smart searching we practised in Part 17, but you can use full sentences and give much more detail. Many of the examples below produce drafts you can paste into an email, as covered in Part 18. The tips work in ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot, Meta AI, Claude and other assistants.
A note on changes: AI assistants keep improving, and some now ask clarifying questions on their own. Results also vary between apps and from one try to the next. The prompt habits below will help whichever tool you use. Always check facts in the answers.
The simple formula: Role, Task, Context, Format
A good prompt usually answers four questions. You can remember them as RTCF:
- Role: who should the AI act as? "You are a friendly maths teacher", "Act as a travel planner", "You are an experienced HR manager."
- Task: what exactly do you want? "Write", "explain", "summarise", "translate", "suggest", "make a list", "check".
- Context: the background details. Who is it for? What is the situation? Any limits, such as budget, time, diet or age?
- Format: how should the answer look? "In 5 bullet points", "a short email under 120 words", "a table", "in simple Hindi", "step by step".
You do not have to use all four every time. But adding even one or two makes answers much better.
Weak prompt versus strong prompt
Weak: "Diet plan."
Strong: "You are a nutrition-aware home cook (role). Suggest a one-week breakfast plan (task) for my 62-year-old father, who is vegetarian, has type 2 diabetes and lives in Chennai, so South Indian dishes are preferred (context). Give it as a simple table with day, dish and a one-line tip (format). Mention that he should confirm the plan with his doctor."
The strong prompt takes thirty seconds longer to type but saves you many rounds of corrections.
Everyday examples
1. Letters and applications
"Act as someone experienced in writing formal letters. Write a letter to the branch manager of my bank asking to update my address in my savings account. I have moved from Andheri to Thane. Mention that I am attaching a copy of my updated Aadhaar and rent agreement. Keep it formal, polite and under 150 words, with placeholders in square brackets for my name and account number."
Using placeholders like [Your name] and [Account number] means you add personal details yourself, instead of sharing them with the AI.
2. Recipes and cooking
"You are a home cook from Punjab. I have paneer, capsicum, onions, tomatoes and basic spices. Suggest two dinner dishes for four people that take under 30 minutes. For each, give ingredients with quantities and numbered steps. Keep the spice level medium because of children."
Follow-up: "Make the second one without onion and garlic."
3. Study help
"You are a patient science teacher. Explain the water cycle to a Class 5 student using an example from the Indian monsoon. Use short sentences. Then ask me three simple questions to check understanding, one at a time, and wait for my answer before giving feedback."
This turns AI into a tutor instead of an answer machine. Children learn more by answering than by copying.
4. Travel planning
"Act as a budget travel planner. Plan a 3-day trip to Udaipur for a couple in their 60s, travelling by train from Ahmedabad in December. They do not want to walk long distances. Budget is around ₹20,000 excluding train fares. Give a day-by-day plan in a table, plus five practical tips."
Remember to check train timings on IRCTC and hotel prices on booking sites; AI may not have current information.
5. Work and small business
"You are a marketing helper for small Indian shops. Write three short WhatsApp messages announcing a Diwali discount of 10% on all sweets at my shop in Lucknow, from 25 October to 5 November. Make them warm and festive, under 50 words each, with one emoji each."
6. Understanding documents
"Explain the following insurance policy clause in plain language, as if to someone with no insurance knowledge. Then list two questions I should ask my agent." Then paste the clause, after removing your name, policy number and other personal details.
7. Checking a suspicious message
"You are a cyber safety adviser. I received this SMS. Tell me which warning signs of a scam it shows, in simple bullet points, and what I should do next. Do not ask me for any personal details." Then paste the message text, without clicking any link in it.
AI can help you spot the warning signs described in our guide to common online scams in India (Part 25), but it can also miss things. If money or your accounts are involved, contact your bank through its official number.
8. Health questions, the safe way
"My mother's blood test report shows HbA1c of 7.2. Explain in simple words what HbA1c measures and what questions we should ask her doctor at the next visit. Do not suggest any medicines." This keeps the AI in the role of explainer, while the doctor makes the decisions.
Getting answers in Indian languages
- Ask directly: "Answer in simple Hindi." or "Reply in Tamil script."
- Write in your language: you can type the whole prompt in Bengali, Kannada or another language, and most assistants will reply in the same language.
- Specify the style: "Use everyday spoken Marathi, not formal or literary language."
- Transliteration: "Write the Hindi in English letters (Hinglish) so I can read it easily."
- Two languages: "Give the answer in English, then the same in Telugu."
Quality varies between languages. For important messages in a language you do not read well, ask a native speaker to check.
The power of follow-up questions
The first answer is just the start. Treat AI like a conversation and refine the result:
- "Make it shorter." or "Make it more detailed."
- "Make the tone more polite." or "more friendly" or "more firm".
- "Explain point 3 in simpler words."
- "Give me three different versions to choose from."
- "What did you assume? Ask me questions if you need more information."
- "Which parts of this answer should I double-check?"
- "Turn this into a checklist I can print."
More tips for better results
- Be specific about numbers: word limits, number of points, budget in rupees, dates and times.
- Give an example: "Write it in a style like this:" followed by a sample.
- Say what you do not want: "Do not use difficult English words." "No bullet points."
- One main task at a time: break big jobs into steps, such as outline first, then each section.
- Start a new chat for a new topic, so old details do not confuse the answer.
- Save good prompts in a notes app and reuse them.
Prompts to avoid
- Prompts containing personal or financial details: Aadhaar, PAN, bank account numbers, card numbers, passwords or OTPs.
- Asking AI to make final decisions on health, legal or money matters. Ask it to explain options and prepare questions instead.
- Asking it to write something you will pass off as entirely your own in an exam or official submission, where rules forbid it.
- Asking for anything that harms others, such as fake reviews or messages pretending to be someone else.
A prompt template you can copy
"You are [role]. Please [task]. Context: [who it is for, situation, limits]. Format: [length, structure, language]. If anything is unclear, ask me before answering."
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to say "please" and "thank you"?
It is not required, but it does no harm, and many people find it natural. What matters most is being clear.
Why do I get a different answer when I ask the same thing again?
AI chatbots add some variety to their replies. If you like one version, copy it. If you need consistency, give more detailed instructions.
Is there a "perfect prompt"?
No. Good prompting is about trying, reading the result and refining it with follow-ups. After a few days of practice, it becomes natural.
What is next
Try this today: take a task you need to do this week, such as a letter, a menu or a trip, and write a prompt using Role, Task, Context and Format. Then improve the answer with two follow-ups. In the next part of Tech for Beginners, we will learn to use AI safely: protecting privacy, catching wrong answers and spotting deepfakes.
