When you express a wish, demand, or preference for someone else to do something, Italian requires the subjunctive mood because the outcome is desired rather than guaranteed.
Wanting and Demanding
The most common verb to trigger this is volere (to want). When the person who wants the action is different from the person performing the action, use volere che followed by a subjunctive verb.
| The vet wants the dog to heal immediately. | Il veterinario vuole che il cane guarisca subito. |
| I want my friend to adopt a dog. | Voglio che la mia amica adotti un cane. |
This also applies to negative demands—when you do not want a specific event to occur.
| I do not want the kitten to go to the pound. | Non voglio che il gattino vada al canile. |
Hopes, Preferences, and Desires
Other verbs that express volition or desire behave exactly the same way. Verbs like sperare (to hope), preferire (to prefer), and desiderare (to desire/wish) all require che plus the subjunctive when introducing an action performed by a new subject.
| The vet hopes the treatment works. | Il veterinario spera che la cura funzioni. |
| We prefer that they adopt a cat from the shelter. | Preferiamo che loro adottino un gatto dal rifugio. |
| I wish for the dog shelters to always be empty. | Desidero che i canili siano sempre vuoti. |
Subject Changes
Remember the golden rule for these triggers: the subjunctive is only used when the subject changes between the two halves of the sentence (e.g., I want that you act). If there is no subject change (e.g., I want to act), you simply use the infinitive without che.
| I want you to help this abandoned cat. | Voglio che tu aiuti questo gatto abbandonato. |
| She wants us to adopt an abandoned animal. | Lei vuole che noi adottiamo un animale abbandonato. |
