How to say it in Hebrew
Tip #33

I am often asked ...

...how to say "I feel like doing something" in Hebrew?
"בא לי \ לא בא לי"

"בא לי" (literally - "comes to me") is not an expression about guests, and even not about being lucky. :) Exactly this is the expressions for saying "I feel like doing something"

For example:
בָּא לִי לֶאֱכֹל מַשֶּׁהוּ - I feel like eating something
בָּא לִי לַנָּסוֹת - I feel like trying

Take it as a short version of "a wish/desire/craving comes to me (all of a sudden)," but we just skip the noun and are left with "comes to me" - then it makes sense.

It can be also negative, of course - and it is used as such quite often!

For example:
לֹא בָּא לִי לְצֵאת הַיּוֹם - I don't feel like going out today
אֵיךְ לֹא בָּא לִי לִנְסֹעַ לָעֲבוֹדָה - Who would know how much I don't feel like going to work today...

*Alternatively, for expressing the lack of desire to do something, or, to be exact, the lack of energy, we can use another picturesque expression -
אין לי כוח which is literally translated as "I don't have the power"

For example:
אֵין לִי כֹּחַ לְהִתְוַכֵּחַ אִתְּךָ עַכְשָׁו - I don't have the energy to quarrel with you now
אֵין לִי כֹּחַ לַשְּׁטֻיּוֹת שֶׁלְּךָ ~ Leave me with your nonsense
"מגיע לי"
Wait a second - is't מגיע a synonym of בא? Then מגיע לי should mean the same as בא לי, right? No. These are expressions, and expressions have a life of their own, beyond logic. :)

מַגִּיעַ לִי (or לך\לו\לנוetc) means "I (you\he\we) deserve something," I am entitled to have something.

For example:
!מַגִּיעַ לִי הַסְבֵּר - I deserve an explanation!
לָמָּה תָּמִיד צָרִיךְ לְהִלָּחֵם עַל הַזְּכוּת לְקַבֵּל אֶת מָה שֶׁמַּגִּיעַ לְךָ - Why does one always need to fight for the right to get what one is entitled to get?
!מַגִּיעַ לִי לָדַעַת מָה הוֹלֵךְ פֶּה - I deserve to know what's going on here!
Or on the negative side:
לָמָּה אַתֶּם אוֹמְרִים אֶת זֶה, לֹא מַגִּיעַ לִי יַחַס כָּזֶה!
Why are you saying it, I didn't deserve to be treated like that!
This is it for this Friday!
See you next time!
Happy Hebrew-learning and stay in touch!
Alisa
Tip #33
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