Breakdown of Hier, pendant une dispute, je lui ai pardonné sa faute.
je
I
lui
him / to him / to her (indirect object)
avoir
to have
son
his/her/its (son, sa, ses)
hier
yesterday
pendant
for / during (duration)
pardonner
to forgive
la dispute
the argument
la faute
the mistake
Questions & Answers about Hier, pendant une dispute, je lui ai pardonné sa faute.
Why is lui placed right before ai?
In the passé composé, indirect object pronouns like lui must be placed immediately before the auxiliary verb (here, avoir conjugated as ai). They never go between the auxiliary and the past participle (pardonné).
Why use the indirect pronoun lui instead of the direct pronoun le?
In French, you do not forgive someone directly; the phrasing is pardonner à quelqu'un (literally to forgive to someone). Because of this invisible à, you must use the indirect object pronoun lui (to him or to her) instead of a direct object pronoun like le.
Since it says sa faute, does that mean a woman made the mistake?
Is une dispute exactly the same as a dispute in English?
It is a bit of a false friend. In English, a dispute often sounds like a formal or legal disagreement. In everyday French, une dispute simply means an argument or a verbal fight between friends, partners, or family members.
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