Breakdown of Il veterinario vuole che il cane guarisca subito.
il cane
the dog
subito
immediately / right away
volere
to want
che
that (conjunction introducing a clause)
il veterinario
the veterinarian
guarire
to heal / to recover
Questions & Answers about Il veterinario vuole che il cane guarisca subito.
Why is it guarisca and not guarisce?
The main verb vuole (wants) expresses a desire. When you express a desire for someone else to do something, Italian requires che plus the subjunctive mood. Guarisca is the present subjunctive of guarire (to heal).
The English translation says 'wants the dog to heal'. Why doesn't the Italian sentence use an infinitive verb for 'to heal'?
In English, we use an infinitive after 'want' when there is a new subject ('wants the dog to heal'). In Italian, when the subject of the wanting (the vet) is different from the subject of the action (the dog), you cannot use an infinitive. You must build a new clause with che (that). Literally, the Italian says: 'The vet wants that the dog heals.'
Why does the verb guarisca have -isc- in the middle?
Guarire is one of those -ire verbs that adds -isc- to its stem in the present tense (just like capire or finire). This -isc- pattern carries over into the present subjunctive for all singular forms and the loro form. So we take the stem guarisc- and add the subjunctive ending -a.
Can guarire also mean 'to cure'?
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