Learn Hardcore Hebrew: לא בא לה ללכת ברגל, אז אולי ניקח מונית בסוף. - She doesn’t feel like walking, so maybe we’ll take a taxi in the end.

Breakdown of לא בא לה ללכת ברגל, אז אולי ניקח מונית בסוף.

What does לא בא לה mean here, and how is it different from היא לא רוצה?

לא בא לה is a very common colloquial way to say she doesn’t feel like it or she’s not in the mood to.

So:

The difference is mostly nuance:

לא רוצה is more direct: doesn’t want
לא בא לה is more casual and softer: doesn’t feel like, isn’t up for it

In everyday spoken Hebrew, בא לי / לא בא לי is extremely common.

Why is it בא and not a feminine form, if we are talking about her?

Because בא ל־... in this expression works like a fixed colloquial pattern.

Even when the person is feminine, speakers normally still say:

So the verb בא stays in the masculine singular form as part of the idiom. It does not change to agree with לה in normal colloquial usage.

You’ll also hear:

This is one of those expressions that is best learned as a set phrase.