Breakdown of Elles se sont pardonné cette trahison pour retrouver la paix.
être
to be
elles
they (feminine)
pour
for
ce
this (before a noun)
se
himself, herself, themselves (reflexive)
pardonner
to forgive
la paix
the peace
retrouver
to find again, to meet up with
la trahison
the betrayal
Questions & Answers about Elles se sont pardonné cette trahison pour retrouver la paix.
Why doesn't pardonné have an -es at the end to agree with Elles?
Even though Elles is feminine plural and uses the auxiliary être, this is an exception. With pronominal (reflexive) verbs, the past participle doesn't agree if the reflexive pronoun (se) is an indirect object. In French, you forgive to someone (pardonner à quelqu'un). Because se acts as the indirect object 'to each other,' there is no agreement.
Since cette trahison is a direct object, shouldn't pardonné agree with it and become pardonnée?
Good catch! cette trahison is indeed the direct object (the thing being forgiven). However, just like with the auxiliary avoir, the past participle only agrees with the direct object if that object comes before the verb. Here, cette trahison is placed after the verb, so pardonné remains unchanged.
Why use the infinitive retrouver after pour? Couldn't we say pour qu'elles retrouvent?
You could theoretically use pour qu'elles retrouvent, but it sounds unnatural here. When the subject of the main verb (Elles) is exactly the same as the subject of the action showing purpose (finding peace), French strongly prefers the simpler structure of pour followed directly by an infinitive. You generally need pour que (and the subjunctive) when the two subjects are different.
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