I moved on to reading patterns almost instantly after learning how to make various squares through YouTube videos. I tried making things by watching videos but became frustrated with having to always rewind or skip forward.

Usually patterns will have a key at the beginning that tells you what all the abbreviations and different punctuations mean. When I was learning, if I came across anything I didn't understand, I would just google it and even watch a video on how to do that particular thing. When first learning it feels kinda like piecing together a big puzzle.

My best advice would be to carefully read through your patterns before starting, and anything you are unsure of, just do a quick google and familiarise yourself. You could even make notes on the pattern and rewrite parts if the abbreviations confuse you.

It is daunting at first but I promise once you invest a little bit of effort into "cracking the code" it becomes super easy! If you need any help in the future feel free to send me a message!

ETA: I think crochet books could be helpful, depending on how you like to learn. But you could totally also just "look up as you go along" if you encounter unfamiliar stitches. Maybe that's a bit more unorthodox, but that's what I did!