How to ask AI so it works
Write five short lines and any AI understands you.
- What this is
- A simple way to write your request so the AI gives you what you wanted the first time.
- Who it is for
- Anyone whose AI answers keep missing the point.
- What you will get
- Five lines you can reuse, and two prompts to copy.
- Time
- 4 min read
The short answer
Write five short lines: Goal, Context, Limits, Format and Done when. The AI cannot read your mind, so each line takes away one thing it would otherwise have to guess.
The five lines
Start each line with the English word. The AI reads English best, and you can write the rest in any language.
- GoalWhat do you want made? One sentence.
Goal: Make a one-page website for my cake shop. - ContextWho is it for, and what do you already have?
Context: The shop is in Kuwait City. Customers order on WhatsApp. I have no logo yet. - LimitsWhich tools and style to use, and what to avoid.
Limits: Plain HTML and CSS. No database. English and Arabic. - FormatWhat do you want back: files, a plan, or steps?
Format: Tell me your plan in 5 lines first. Then wait until I say go. - Done whenHow will you check that it works?
Done when: It looks good on my phone and the WhatsApp button works.
Examples to copy
Paste into any AI tool. Add "Reply in Arabic" if you want the answer in Arabic.
All five lines together, for a cake shop
Copy it, then change the words to your own idea.
Goal: Make a one-page website for my cake shop. Context: The shop is in Kuwait City. Customers order on WhatsApp. I have no logo yet. Limits: Plain HTML and CSS. No database. English and Arabic. Format: Tell me your plan in 5 lines first. Then wait until I say go. Done when: It looks good on my phone and the WhatsApp button works.
A ready prompt for any small website
Type go only when the plan it shows looks right.
Show the prompt
Use the simplest stack that works (plain HTML, CSS and a little JavaScript is fine for a small site; use Next.js and Vercel only if it needs a database or login). English and Arabic with right-to-left. Brand name, logo and colours in one config file. Phone first: test at 390 pixels wide in both languages. Use placeholder images and sample content. Tell me your plan in 8 lines first, then wait until I reply "go".
Three habits that help
- Ask for a short plan first. Fix the plan before the AI builds anything.
- Ask for one step at a time. If it builds everything at once, say: Stop. Give me only step one.
- If the answer misses the point, add one more fact to Context and ask again.
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