בעצם רציתי לצאת, אבל עכשיו אני חושבת שעדיף לנוח.

בעצם is a very common word in spoken Hebrew. In this sentence, it means something like actually, really, or to be honest.

So בעצם רציתי לצאת means:

• I actually wanted to go out
• or I was actually planning to go out

Depending on tone, בעצם can also suggest a small correction or reconsideration, like when I think about it.

רציתי literally means I wanted, but in Hebrew this past form is often used to soften what someone is saying, especially in conversation.

Here it can mean:

• I wanted to go out
• I was thinking of going out
• I had wanted to go out

It gives the feeling that this was the speaker’s earlier intention, but now they are changing their mind. That fits the second half of the sentence: אבל עכשיו אני חושבת שעדיף לנוח.

So the contrast is:

• Earlier / at first: I wanted to go out
• Now: I think it’s better to rest

לצאת is the infinitive to go out or to leave.

It can mean:

• to leave a place
• to go outside
• to go out socially

In this sentence, it most likely means to go out in the everyday sense, such as leaving home or going out somewhere.

It is built from:

• ל־ = to
• צאת = the infinitive base of the verb יצא (he went out / left)

Because the speaker is female.

In the present tense, Hebrew verbs agree with gender:

• אני חושב = I think (said by a male)
• אני חושבת = I think (said by a female)

So this sentence is spoken by a woman or girl.

Notice that in the past tense, רציתי is the same for both masculine and feminine I, so gender is only clearly shown later by חושבת.

ש־ is the very common Hebrew word meaning that.

עדיף means preferable, better, or it’s better.

So:

• שעדיף לנוח = that it’s better to rest

Very literally, the second half means:

• but now I think that it’s better to rest

Hebrew often uses עדיף in a very natural way where English says it’s better to... For example:

• עדיף לחכות = It’s better to wait
• עדיף לא לדבר עכשיו = It’s better not to talk now

Because Hebrew often does not need a dummy subject like English it.

English says:

• It is better to rest

Hebrew simply says:

• עדיף לנוח
• literally: better to rest

This is very normal in Hebrew. English often requires it in expressions about time, weather, or general statements, but Hebrew often does not.

לנוח means to rest.

It is an infinitive, just like לצאת:

• לצאת = to go out
• לנוח = to rest

So the sentence contains two infinitives:

• רציתי לצאת = I wanted to go out
• עדיף לנוח = it’s better to rest

This is very common Hebrew structure:

• רוצה לאכול = wants to eat
• צריך ללמוד = needs to study
• עדיף לנוח = better to rest

Yes, very natural.

Word by word:

• אבל = but
• עכשיו = now
• אני = I
• חושבת = think (feminine)

So:

• אבל עכשיו אני חושבת שעדיף לנוח
• But now I think that it’s better to rest

Hebrew word order is fairly flexible, but this order sounds normal and conversational. Putting עכשיו early helps emphasize the contrast with the earlier idea.

Yes. It can mean literal now, but in this sentence it also marks a change in opinion.

So it means something like:

• but now
• but at this point
• but as things stand now

It shows the speaker is reconsidering the earlier plan.

A man would say:

בעצם רציתי לצאת, אבל עכשיו אני חושב שעדיף לנוח.

The only change is:

• חושבת → חושב

Everything else stays the same.

It sounds natural and conversational, not especially formal.

Words like בעצם and the whole structure of changing one’s mind make it sound like everyday spoken Hebrew.

It is perfectly correct, though, and could also appear in writing if the style is casual or personal.

A simple transliteration is:

be-etzem ratziti latzet, aval akhshav ani khoshevet she-adif lanuakh

A few notes:

• בעצם = be-ET-sem
• רציתי = ra-TZI-ti
• לצאת = la-TZET
• עכשיו = akh-SHAV
• חושבת = kho-SHE-vet
• שעדיף = she-a-DIF
• לנוח = la-NU-akh

Pronunciation can vary a little depending on accent.

Yes, very much.

רציתי לצאת often suggests:

• I intended to go out
• I was planning to go out
• I wanted to go out, but probably won’t now

Because the sentence continues with אבל עכשיו אני חושבת שעדיף לנוח, the listener understands that the original plan is being dropped or reconsidered.

So the sentence does not just state two unrelated thoughts. It tells a small shift in decision:

• first intention: go out
• current conclusion: rest instead