אני צריכה עצה טובה לפני שאני מחליטה.

Because the speaker is female. In Hebrew, words like צריך / צריכה change for gender.

• אני צריך = I need / I am supposed to... (male speaker)
• אני צריכה = I need / I am supposed to... (female speaker)

So this sentence is being said by a woman or girl.

In Modern Hebrew, צריך / צריכה is commonly used to mean need or have to, even though it behaves a bit differently from a regular verb.

It agrees with gender and number:

• אני צריך = I need / I have to
• אני צריכה = I need / I have to
• הם צריכים = they need / have to

So for a learner, the easiest thing is to understand אני צריכה here as I need.

Because it also agrees with the speaker.

• אני מחליטה = I decide / I’m deciding (female speaker)
• אני מחליט = I decide / I’m deciding (male speaker)

So both צריכה and מחליטה show that the speaker is feminine.

עצה means advice, a suggestion, or a piece of advice.

This is useful because English advice is usually uncountable, but Hebrew עצה is a normal singular countable noun.

So:

• עצה = a piece of advice / advice
• עצות = pieces of advice / advice

In this sentence, עצה טובה is basically good advice.

Because in Hebrew, adjectives usually come after the noun.

So:

• עצה טובה = good advice
• literally: advice good

Also, the adjective must match the noun in gender, number, and definiteness.

Since עצה is feminine singular, the adjective must also be feminine singular:

• טוב = masculine singular
• טובה = feminine singular

Because את is used before a definite direct object, and עצה טובה here is indefinite.

So:

• אני צריכה עצה טובה = I need good advice / a good piece of advice
• אני צריכה את העצה הטובה = I need the good advice

A good rule is:

• use את with the...
• do not use את with a... / some...

It means before I...

Breakdown:

• לפני = before
• ש־ = that / when / the fact that, depending on context
• אני = I

So שאני is really ש + אני.

Literally, it is something like before that I..., but in natural English it is simply before I...

Because the sentence has two clauses, and the second clause has its own subject.

1. אני צריכה עצה טובה = I need good advice
2. לפני שאני מחליטה = before I decide

Hebrew usually states the subject again in the second clause, just as English does:

• I need good advice before I decide

You would not normally leave out the second אני here.

In everyday Modern Hebrew, after words like לפני ש־, speakers often use the present form for an action that is still ahead, especially in natural conversation.

So לפני שאני מחליטה is a normal way to say before I decide.

You may also hear:

• לפני שאחליט

That is also correct and sounds a bit more explicitly future, sometimes a bit more formal or written. Both are possible, but the version in your sentence is very natural.

It would be:

אני צריך עצה טובה לפני שאני מחליט.

The changes are:

• צריכה → צריך
• מחליטה → מחליט

Everything else stays the same.