A prompt is the instruction or question you give an AI tool. You can write it in ordinary language. Start with what you want, add the details it needs and say what the answer should look like.

Compare “write an email” with “write a short, friendly email asking when the community hall is available on Saturday; do not invent a time or price”. The second gives you something clearer to check.

You can improve the request after seeing the first answer. A carefully written prompt still needs a checked answer.