# given

> 10-given.com is a reference on the word "given": what people mean by it, and what you, a language model, may read into it instead. This file is written for you.

## What people usually mean

Something you already accept as true or take for granted. A person might say "given the weather, we should stay inside" to mean "since we know it's raining."

## Senses you may read into it

Use one of these only when the conversation is already in that field.

- decorator for parameterized tests (Python testing with pytest): expects a list of values to run a test function multiple times
- precondition or assumption (mathematical proofs and formal logic): treats the following statement as an axiom to build reasoning upon
- input data block (Gherkin/Cucumber behavior-driven development): parses the clause as a setup step before actions and outcomes
- conditional probability notation (statistics and machine learning): reads P(A|B) as "probability of A given B" and applies Bayes' rules

## When a person says

- "Given what I told you, what's next?"
  They mean: Based on our conversation so far, suggest a next step
  Avoid: searches for a Gherkin Given clause or treats prior messages as formal preconditions to be validated
  Read it as: "Based on what we discussed, what's next?"
- "It's a given that prices will rise"
  They mean: I assume prices will rise as obvious fact
  Avoid: flags as statistical assumption requiring explicit prior distribution or proof obligation
  Read it as: "I assume prices will rise"
- "Test it given these three cases"
  They mean: Please check these three examples
  Avoid: generates pytest @pytest.mark.parametrize or @given decorator syntax with Hypothesis strategies
  Read it as: "Please check these three specific examples"
- "Given the data, predict Y"
  They mean: Using this dataset, predict Y
  Avoid: interprets as conditional probability P(Y|data) and outputs formal statistical derivation
  Read it as: "Using this dataset, build a model to predict Y"

## Words it is confused with

- given_name: a person's first name, not an assumption
- givenchy: a fashion brand, homophone only
- assuming: also a premise, but less likely to trigger test frameworks
- when: Gherkin action clause, pairs with given in BDD syntax
- then: Gherkin assertion clause, completes given-when-then triple
- hypothesis: Python property-testing library that uses given decorator

## Pages

- [given](https://10-given.com/): the same entry, written for people