How do you swim can anyone tell me?

i dont know how to swim, it really sucks because im 22 and i LOVE going to the pool but all i can really do is walk around. i feel like an idiot when i go to a pool basically. i want to know how to doggy paddle, or float on my back, or atleast learn what the easiest thing there is to do, how to do it. when i have asked family/friends or researched it online, it seems pretty technical. like, having to cup ur hands a certain way, retaining a certain amount of buoyancy, etc. someone help please im going to my friends apt pool later.