By the end of this lesson, you will be able to open ChatGPT, send your first message, read the answer, and ask a follow-up question.
What you need
You need only three things: a phone or a computer, an internet connection, and something to ask about. You do not need any special equipment or computer skills.
You can use ChatGPT in a web browser at chatgpt.com, or you can download the ChatGPT app on your phone from your usual app store. If it asks you to sign in, a free account with your email address is enough to start. You do not need to pay anything to try the basic version.
A quick reminder from lesson 1: a chatbot is a program you chat with by typing, and a prompt is simply the message you type to the AI.
Sending your first message
When you open ChatGPT, you will see a message box, usually near the bottom of the screen. Click or tap in the box, type your message, and press send (or tap the arrow button). That is all there is to it.
For your first try, keep it simple. Here are three messages you can copy and paste:
Explain what a library card does, in simple words.
Write a short thank-you note to my neighbor for bringing over soup.
Give me three ideas for a simple lunch I can make at home.
Pick one, send it, and watch what comes back. The answer usually appears in a few seconds, written out line by line.
Reading the answer
Read the answer the way you would read a letter from a helpful stranger. Most of the time, for everyday questions, it will be clear and useful. Sometimes it will be longer than you wanted, or it will miss the point. That is normal, and it is easy to fix.
If the answer is too long, you can reply:
Make that shorter.
If a word confuses you, reply:
What does [word] mean, in simple words?
If the answer is not quite what you wanted, tell it what to change:
Try that again, but friendlier and shorter.
You can keep chatting in the same conversation. Each message you send builds on what came before, so you do not need to repeat yourself.
Starting a new conversation
When you want to talk about something different, start a new conversation rather than continuing the old one. That way the AI does not mix up your new question with the old topic. Look for a “new chat” button or option, usually near the top of the screen or in the menu. If you signed in, your old conversations usually stay saved in a list, so you can go back to them later if you want.
If the answer looks wrong
ChatGPT can sound confident and still be wrong. It may not know the latest news, prices, or schedules, and it can mix up facts. For everyday ideas, like lunch suggestions, that hardly matters. For anything important, such as health, money, dates, or directions, always check with a trusted source, like a doctor, a bank, or an official website. Lesson 5 covers this in full.
A companion to keep beside you
As you practice, it helps to have a few ready-made prompts to start from. Our free guide, Your First 10 ChatGPT Prompts, gives you ten everyday prompts you can copy, paste, and change to fit your own life. You can download it free, with no account or sign-up needed, and keep it on your phone for whenever you want an idea.
Try this yourself
Open ChatGPT and send one message about something real in your life: a note you need to write, a meal to plan, or a topic you have always wondered about. Then ask one follow-up question, such as “Explain that more simply.” Notice how the conversation feels. You have just used AI.