So, I always read about how Final Fantasy is awesome, amazing etc. etc... I've never played it, but I would love to start. 
Which one is the best, what is the difference between them, and where do you suggest starting from?
Please remember, I am a bit of a noob, so I do need everything spelled out - no gamer language!
Thank you!

EDIT:
I Love adventure games, a good story really gets me going. But I also really hate grinding. 

I'm confused.  You tell us you're new and you're a newbie and you want everything spelled out and don't use gamer language.

Now you tell us you not only understand what grinding is, you've experienced enough of it to (a) know it and (b) strongly dislike it.  You dislike it enough to use the word 'hate."

The thing about grinding is it lets you really understand the capabilities of players and it lets you develop them.  Some games, like Final Fantasy IV (The best in my opinion), lets you drive the bus and create different magic users through espers.  But you can only do it by winning battles and getting a specific form of experience to hone their skills.

Or if you look at Final Fantasy X, another great one, you can change the direction characters develop and it takes time and effort to really have fun.  The grinding should be an enjoyable part of the game.  It's not power leveling, it's building and army.

Start with Final Fantasy III.  It has a great story, it is not a long game, and it keeps things moving.

Have fun.

warmaker :
Thank you!
To explain, I have never played Final Fantasy, but I enjoy adventure games in general. That's why I know what "grinding" is. However, every game usually has it's own type of language - the acronyms and code-words to explain different quests and styles of play. to avoid that, I chose to simply ask for no "gamer language" at all...

ConfusedGuru : Final Fantasy games are role playing games, they are not quite adventure games like Zelda-though FF games also have large worlds to explore. Are you looking to buy a FF game from the past or just play one here on Vizzed? Do you prefer futuristic, steam punk, or fantasy settings or somethings else? There is a Final Fantasy for each of these. And since the series has been around a long time, I'm not sure how far you'd be willing to go back. My personal favorite is a Super NES game, for instance. I think I've played all of the Final Fantasy games, though many are foggy to me. I'll try to help you by making some recommendations for a good first try.

FF1 : If you have ever played old-school Dragon Warrior games, this is pretty similar to play with its fantasy medieval setting.  You make a party of adventurers, and they go to stop great evil - nothing special here, the series later became known for much more intricate plots. Fights are paused on your turn, its not real time. Its very bare bones, so in many ways its the simplest. However the interface is not so great - for instance buying a weapon it doesn't tell you if its better than what you have currently. But if you want to see the series at its roots, go to the source. Some Final Fantasy hallmarks (the ever popular airships, etc)  started right here. Quite a bit of grinding in this game. I'd say this is a medium difficulty game - a lot depends on how well you manage your team's gear/spells and leveling up.

FFII USA (FFIV  overseas) : This fantasy medieval one I felt has some great music, and has kind of a movie vibe to it. The combat is a little different, the enemies will attack while its your turn, making combat feel more organic. You don't get to pick your group of characters, it follows one primary leader, but the cast is large and their personalities (and powers) evolve with the story. I think FFII has one of the most cohesive stories of the bunch, as it always has the appropriate members of your team for the situation. That being said, you don't have to worry about making wrong choices, since the game follows its script, and the grinding is not really too bad until the end. This one is not that hard to beat, since you change your party a lot they will always be around decent levels, there are also some secrets to find that can really trivialize parts of the game.

FFVII: This game has a much more modern tone, its got motorcycles, submarines and giant rail guns.  Evil corporations are the start of a main bad guy here, and the combat is real time - the foes do not wait for you to strike first. The character designs can take a bit getting used to nowadays, with their Popeye arms. This has some great music, and a great final boss people love to hate.  The story is a bit murky at times, not as clear cut as FFII, but its still a great ride. The cast seems smaller than FFII, but there are hidden characters to add if you want. The ability to put spells on your weapons and armor is a bit more advanced stuff to tinker with, and it really makes or breaks your fights sometimes.  The cast from this gets a lot of love. I would say this one is medium to hard difficulty, if you don't like the management system of spells on your gear. Medium level grinding. There is a good balance of overpowered attacks/spells for your team, and super-tough optional bosses.

FFX: Its set in a futuristic, yet somewhat apocalyptic setting. Its done very well, I like the unique religion thats featured heavily in the game. Probably has one of the most fleshed out worlds.  Again, real time combat, whoever is faster strikes, without waiting. The plot is pretty good, I felt it drags in a few places, and to me the characters feel a bit uneven - some I liked a lot, some I wished had been redesigned. All the characters speak their dialog, so everyone has a voice in this game.  The level up system is sort of like a board game - each character buys upgrades and its quite linear, though you do get to make some choices and even allow team members to learn another characters skills later.  Like FFVII, there are a few minigames that can lead to important items for you if you keep with it. Overall, I felt this game was pretty easy. I didn't have to grind too much for levels, just for a few optional areas. 

Just throwing a guess based on your likes, I'd say maybe FFII on Supernes? Pretty solid story and minimal grinding.  If you're looking for something Squaresoft thats more adventure/rpg, I'd suggest Chrono Trigger if you haven't already tried it.


Hope that helps

endings :
Definitely helps, although I just started on FF3 here on Vizzed... My style games are somewhere between monkey island/kings quest and the current flood of RPGs (elder scrolls, assassins creed).
Final fantasy seems to be nice, not lovin the old pixelated graphics though
It's awesome how people here are so quick to help!

ConfusedGuru : FF3 is my favorite, it has the largest roster, and some very good music and graphics (for its time).  I didn't include it for a couple of reasons, though its in no way a bad game, at all. Have fun!

I'm currently really enjoying Final Fantasy 12 for it's story and lack of random encounters.

ConfusedGuru : I would recommend Final Fantasy seven or ten. They both have really well made worlds and everything from the music to the enemies you fight really fit inside the environments that they make. 

FF7 is set in a post modern era where robots, giant weapons, and questionably moral science experiments fit together rather well. Huge corporations control everything through their wealth and their mercenaries.

FF10 is set in a more magical time where machines are rare and generally despised. The environments and monsters really set up how fantastic the world is. The world lends itself especially well to giant monsters and mythical creatures.