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Ellas esperan que sus amigos siempre sean sinceros.

Ellas esperan que sus amigos siempre sean sinceros.
They expect their friends to always be sincere.
From Lesson 146:Desires for others (querer que / esperar que)·Spanish (Latin America)

Questions & Answers about Ellas esperan que sus amigos siempre sean sinceros.

Why is the verb sean used here instead of son?
The phrase esperan que expresses a hope or expectation about other people (sus amigos). This triggers a special verb form called the subjunctive in the second half of the sentence. sean is the present subjunctive form of ser for "they".
The English translation says "to always be". Why doesn't the Spanish sentence use the infinitive ser?
In English, we say "expect someone to be." But in Spanish, when the person expecting (ellas) is different from the person doing the action (sus amigos), you cannot use the infinitive. Instead, you must use que (that) followed by the subjunctive form sean. It literally translates to "They expect that their friends always be sincere."
Why does this sentence use a form of ser (sean) instead of estar for "be"?
We use ser because being sincere is treated as a core characteristic or personality trait of the friends, rather than a temporary mood or condition.
Could I put siempre after the verb, like sean siempre sinceros?
You might hear it that way, but placing siempre (always) right before the verb it modifies is the most common and natural word order in Spanish.

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