For Python, Guido van Rossum based the grouping of statements on indentation. The reasons for this are explained in the first section of the “Design and History Python FAQ”. Colons, :, are used to declare an indented code block, such as the following example:

class ExampleClass:
    #Every function belonging to a class must be indented equally
    def __init__(self):
        name = "example"

    def someFunction(self, a):
        #Notice everything belonging to a function must be indented
        if a > 5:
            return True
        else:
            return False

#If a function is not indented to the same level it will not be considerd part of the parent class
def separateFunction(b):
    for i in b:
    #Loops are also indented and nested conditions start a new indentation
        if i == 1:
            return True
    return False

separateFunction([2,3,5,6,1])

Spaces or Tabs?

The recommended indentation is 4 spaces but tabs or spaces can be used so long as they are consistent. Do not mix tabs and spaces in Python as this will cause an error in Python 3 and can causes errors in Python 2.