Yes, lambas don't allow statements in them, only an expression. In [8]: f = lambda x: x * 2 In [9]: f(2) Out[9]: 4 In [10]: g = lambda x: if x % 2 == 0: x *

Yes, lambas don't allow statements in them, only an expression. In [8]: f = lambda x: x * 2 In [9]: f(2) Out[9]: 4 In [10]: g = lambda x: if x % 2 == 0: x * 2 else x * 3 File "<ipython-input-10-f7248669b8fd>", line 1 g = lambda x: if x % 2 == 0: x * 2 else x * 3 ^ SyntaxError: invalid syntax