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Nous devons compenser l'erreur pour garder sa fidélité.

Nous devons compenser l'erreur pour garder sa fidélité.
We must compensate for the mistake to keep his loyalty.
From Lesson 321:Whatever (quoi que)·French

Questions & Answers about Nous devons compenser l'erreur pour garder sa fidélité.

Why is there no preposition after compenser?
In English, we say 'compensate for' something. However, compenser in French is a direct transitive verb, meaning it takes a direct object. You simply say compenser l'erreur. Adding pour after the verb would be a literal translation mistake.
Could sa fidélité mean 'her loyalty' as well as 'his loyalty'?
Yes! Remember that French possessive adjectives agree with the gender of the noun being owned, not the gender of the owner. Because fidélité is feminine, it is always sa fidélité, regardless of whether the loyalty belongs to a man, a woman, or even a company.
Why do we need pour before garder here?
When the English word 'to' means 'in order to' and expresses a purpose or goal, you must use pour followed by an infinitive verb in French. We are compensating for the mistake specifically 'in order to' keep his loyalty.
I am studying 'quoi que' and the subjunctive. Why is the subjunctive not used in this sentence?
This sentence states a direct fact and a goal, so it uses the standard indicative mood. If you wanted to add a concession using your current lesson's grammar, you could say Quoi que soit l'erreur, nous devons la compenser (Whatever the mistake may be, we must compensate for it), where quoi que triggers the subjunctive soit.

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