# LEFT

### Description

`LEFT` takes string (or list) and a number and returns the first number of characters from the string.

### Example with String

```
LEFT('DE12500105170648489890', 2)
```

This will extract the first two characters from the left of the provided IBAN. This effectively extracts the country here indicating you have a "DE" IBAN at hand.

### Example with List

```
LEFT([1, 2, 3, 4, 5], 2)
```

This will return `[1, 2]`.