# Literals: values written directly in code

[Concepts explained](README.md)

A **literal** is a value written directly in the source. `12` is a number literal. `"turtle"` is a text literal. A variable name instead asks Pliro to look up a value.

```pliro
# language: en
let animal = "turtle"
say animal
say "animal"
say 3 + 4
```

The output is `turtle`, `animal`, and `7`. Quotes make a difference: `animal` is a name to look up, while `"animal"` is the actual word.

## Literal or expression?

An **expression** is code that produces a value. A literal is one simple kind of expression. `3 + 4` is an expression containing two number literals and an addition operator. It produces seven, but is not itself a single number literal.

This distinction matters for event headers. `after(2)` accepts a directly written number in its allowed range. A variable containing two, or `after(1 + 1)`, is not the same syntax, even though it could describe the same number.

Pliro also has Boolean and no-value literals, plus list and map literal forms. A list literal may contain expressions, such as `[1, 2 + 3]`.

Try replacing `"turtle"` with `"fox"`. Which output line changes? Only the one that looks up `animal`.

[Text](../syntax/text.md) · [Timers](../builtins/after.md)