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Desidero che i canili siano sempre vuoti.

Desidero che i canili siano sempre vuoti.
I wish for the dog shelters to always be empty.
From Lesson 182:Subjunctive with desires (voglio che…)·Italian

Questions & Answers about Desidero che i canili siano sempre vuoti.

Why is the verb siano used here instead of sono?
siano is the present subjunctive form of essere (to be) for the "they" form. You must use the subjunctive here because the main verb, desidero (I desire/wish), expresses a strong wish. Whenever you have a verb of volition or desire followed by che, the following verb must be in the subjunctive mood.
The English translation says "for the dog shelters to always be", but the Italian uses che and a conjugated verb. Why not use an infinitive?
In Italian, when the person doing the wishing (I) is different from the subject of the wish (the dog shelters), you cannot use an infinitive. You must use che (that) followed by a new clause. The literal translation of the Italian is "I desire that the dog shelters be always empty."
Why does the adverb sempre come right after siano rather than at the end of the sentence?
In Italian, adverbs of frequency like sempre (always) and mai (never) typically sit immediately after the conjugated verb they modify. Therefore, sempre is placed directly after siano and before the adjective vuoti.
What is the singular form of i canili, and why does vuoti end in -i?
The singular is il canile (the dog shelter). Because it is a masculine noun ending in -e, its plural form ends in -i (i canili). The adjective vuoto (empty) must agree with the noun it describes, so it also changes to its masculine plural form, vuoti.

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