בעצם, גם אני מעדיפה לבוא לבד ולחזור מוקדם.

Actually, I also prefer to come alone and return early.

Breakdown of בעצם, גם אני מעדיפה לבוא לבד ולחזור מוקדם.

• אני: I
• ו: and
• לבוא: to come
• לבד: alone

Questions & Answers about בעצם, גם אני מעדיפה לבוא לבד ולחזור מוקדם.

What does בעצם mean here?

In this sentence, בעצם means something like actually, in fact, or when it comes down to it.

It often adds a small correction, clarification, or shift in tone. So the speaker may be saying something like:

• Actually, I also prefer...
• Come to think of it, I also prefer...

It is a very common conversational word in Hebrew.

Why is it מעדיפה and not מעדיף?

מעדיפה is the feminine singular present-tense form of להעדיף (to prefer).

So this sentence is spoken by a female speaker:

• אני מעדיפה = I prefer (said by a woman)

If a man were speaking, it would be:

• אני מעדיף

Hebrew present-tense verbs usually agree with the subject in gender and number.

What is the basic verb here?