כן, בא לי לשבת על הדשא ולנוח קצת.

Yes, I feel like sitting on the grass and resting a little.

Breakdown of כן, בא לי לשבת על הדשא ולנוח קצת.

• ו: and
• לשבת: to sit
• על: on
• כן: yes

Questions & Answers about כן, בא לי לשבת על הדשא ולנוח קצת.

What does בא לי mean here, and why does it literally look like comes to me?

בא לי is a very common Hebrew expression meaning I feel like, I’m in the mood to, or I want to in an informal sense.

Literally:

• בא = comes
• לי = to me

So the literal structure is something like it comes to me, but the real meaning is idiomatic: I feel like it.

In this sentence, בא לי לשבת... means I feel like sitting...

This is one of those expressions that should be learned as a chunk:

• בא לי לאכול = I feel like eating
• בא לי לישון = I feel like sleeping
• לא בא לי = I don’t feel like it

How is בא לי different from אני רוצה?

Both can express wanting, but they are not exactly the same.

• אני רוצה = I want
• בא לי = I feel like / I’m in the mood for

So בא לי often sounds more spontaneous, emotional, or casual.

Compare:

• אני רוצה לנוח = I want to rest
• בא לי לנוח = I feel like resting

In many everyday situations, בא לי is more natural in spoken Hebrew when talking about cravings, moods, or sudden desires.