Which Linux terminal commands should a Windows person learn first?

I'm fine with Command Prompt and a bit of PowerShell at work, but the Linux terminal still feels like a different language to me. I've been watching videos, and they type things so fast that I can't tell which commands matter and which are just extras.

If you had to pick about ten commands to learn first, which ones would you pick? Also, is there a safe way to practice without risking a real machine? I was thinking of a virtual machine on my Windows PC, or maybe WSL, but I'm not sure which is better for just messing around and breaking things.

I think a good place to start is our new labs section.