Combat is organized in a cycle of rounds and turns. A round represents about 6 seconds. During a round, each participant takes a turn.
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The order of turns is determined at the beginning of an encounter, when everyone rolls initiative.
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The GM then determines who is surprised. If you are surprised, you can't move or take an action on your first turn and can't take a reaction until that turn ends.
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On your turn, you can move and take one action.
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Sometimes you can do multiple things as your 1 action, or you can take an additional separate action.
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Certain things let you take an additional action on your turn called a bonus action (only one per turn).
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You can briefly communicate on your turn and interact with one object or feature of the environment during your move or action.
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Certain things allow you to take a special action called a reaction: a response to a trigger of some kind, occurring on your turn or on someone else's.
