Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.

I want our friendship to remain sincere.

Breakdown of Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.

• yo: I
• querer: to want
• que: that
• nuestro: our
• sincero: sincere
• la amistad: the friendship
• seguir siendo: to still be

Questions & Answers about Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.

Why is it siga and not sigue after quiero que?

Because quiero que (I want that…) is one of the classic triggers for the subjunctive mood in Spanish.

• Quiero que + [other subject] + subjunctive
  → Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
  (I want our friendship to keep being sincere.)

You cannot say *Quiero que nuestra amistad sigue… here; that would use the indicative, which is wrong after quiero que when you’re expressing a wish about someone/something else.

Compare:

• Quiero seguir siendo sincero.
  (I want to keep being sincere myself. — same subject: yo)
  → infinitive seguir, no que, no subjunctive.

• Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
  (I want our friendship to keep being sincere. — different subject: amistad)
  → need que and the subjunctive siga.

Exactly what does siga siendo mean, and why do we need two verbs?

Seguir + gerund (seguir + gerundio) expresses continuation: to keep on doing / to continue doing something.

• seguir = to continue / to keep on
• siendo = gerund of ser (being)

So siga siendo literally means “(that it) continue being” or “(that it) keep being”.

Here:

• siga is seguir in the present subjunctive, 3rd person singular (it: the friendship).
• siendo is the gerund of ser.

Put together:
Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
≈ I want our friendship to keep being / remain sincere.

Could I just say Quiero que nuestra amistad sea sincera instead of siga siendo sincera?

You can say it, but the nuance changes slightly:

• Quiero que nuestra amistad sea sincera.
  Focuses on the state: I want our friendship to be sincere (now or in general).
  It doesn’t clearly say whether it already is sincere.

• Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
  Implies that the friendship is already sincere, and you want that sincerity to continue.
  It suggests: Our friendship is sincere now; I want it to *stay that way.*

So siga siendo adds the idea of “still / continue / remain” that sea alone doesn’t express as strongly.

Can I drop siendo and just say Quiero que nuestra amistad siga sincera?

Grammatically, Quiero que nuestra amistad siga sincera is possible, and a native will understand it. However:

• The most natural and common way in everyday Spanish is seguir siendo + adjective:
  • seguir siendo sincera
  • seguir siendo amigos
  • seguir siendo honestos

Without siendo, it sounds a bit more literary or formal, or at least less usual in casual speech.

So:

• ✔ Very natural: Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
• ✔ Possible but less common in conversation: Quiero que nuestra amistad siga sincera.

Why do we need que in Quiero que…? Can I say *Quiero nuestra amistad siga…?

You must use que here. It is the conjunction that introduces the subordinate clause.

Structure:

• Main clause: Quiero
• Conjunction: que
• Subordinate clause: nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera

So:

• ✔ Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
• ✘ *Quiero nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera. (incorrect)

In English, that is often optional:
I want (that) our friendship keeps being sincere.
But in Spanish, que is not optional in this kind of sentence.

What exactly is siga grammatically, and how is seguir conjugated in the present subjunctive?

Siga is:

• verb: seguir
• mood: subjunctive
• tense: present
• person: 3rd person singular (he / she / it)

Present subjunctive of seguir:

• yo siga
• tú sigas
• él / ella / usted siga
• nosotros / nosotras sigamos
• vosotros / vosotras sigáis
• ellos / ellas / ustedes sigan

Compare with present indicative:

• yo sigo
• tú sigues
• él / ella / usted sigue
• nosotros / nosotras seguimos
• vosotros / vosotras seguís
• ellos / ellas / ustedes siguen

Note the stem change e → i (sig-) and the subjunctive endings -a, -as, -a, -amos, -áis, -an for this -ir verb.

Why is it sincera and not sincero?

Because adjectives in Spanish must agree in gender and number with the noun they describe.

• amistad (friendship) is a feminine singular noun.
• Therefore, the adjective sincero must also be feminine singular → sincera.

So you get:

• nuestra amistad sincera
  (amistad = feminine → sincera)

If the noun were masculine, you’d use sincero:

• nuestro amigo sincero (our sincere friend – masculine)
• nuestro vínculo sincero (our sincere bond – masculine noun vínculo)

Is amistad always feminine? How can I remember that?

Yes, amistad is always feminine:

• la amistad
• nuestra amistad
• esta amistad

A helpful pattern:
Most nouns ending in -dad are feminine:

• la amistad (friendship)
• la ciudad (city)
• la libertad (freedom)
• la verdad (truth)
• la bondad (kindness)

So when you see -dad, think: “almost always feminine.”

Can I change the word order, like Quiero que siga siendo sincera nuestra amistad?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct, but it sounds less natural in everyday speech.

Most natural, neutral order:

• Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.

Possible, but with a slightly different feel (more emphasis, more literary):

• Quiero que siga siendo sincera nuestra amistad.

In Spanish, you can move the subject (nuestra amistad) to the end for emphasis or style, but the standard learner-friendly order is the one you already have.

Is Quiero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera very strong or demanding? Are there softer alternatives?

Quiero que… is clear and direct: “I want…”. It isn’t rude by itself, but it can sound quite strong, depending on tone and context.

Softer options:

• Me gustaría que nuestra amistad siguiera siendo sincera.
  (I would like our friendship to keep being sincere.)
  → uses conditional (me gustaría) and imperfect subjunctive (siguiera), more polite / tentative.

• Espero que nuestra amistad siga siendo sincera.
  (I hope our friendship keeps being sincere.)
  → expresses hope rather than a direct want.

So if you don’t want to sound too forceful, me gustaría que… or espero que… are very natural alternatives.