On change de stratégie, quitte à réduire notre score.

Here on means we.

In everyday French, on is very often used instead of nous in speech and informal writing. So:

• On change de stratégie = We’re changing strategy
• A more formal version would be Nous changeons de stratégie

So although on can sometimes mean one / people in general, that is not the most natural reading here.

Because the subject is on, and on takes a third-person singular verb form.

So:

• on change
• nous changeons

This is one of the things that can feel strange to English speakers: even when on means we, the verb still stays singular.

Because changer de is the usual pattern when you mean to change something in the sense of switching to a different one.

So:

• changer de stratégie = to change strategy / switch strategies
• changer de voiture = to change cars
• changer d’avis = to change one’s mind

This is different from changer quelque chose, which means to change something directly:

• changer la stratégie = to change the strategy
• changer les règles = to change the rules

In your sentence, changer de stratégie suggests switching to another strategy.

That is normal after changer de.

With this structure, French usually uses de + noun without an article:

• changer de plan
• changer de sujet
• changer de stratégie

So de stratégie here does not mean of strategy in the English sense. It is just part of the normal French construction.

Quitte à is a fixed expression meaning something like:

• even if it means
• even at the cost of
• at the risk of
• if necessary, even by

So in this sentence:

• quitte à réduire notre score
  = even if it means reducing our score = even at the cost of lowering our score

It introduces a consequence or sacrifice that the speaker is willing to accept.

Not really in a literal word-for-word way.

Although quitte exists elsewhere with meanings related to being free from or clear of, in quitte à + infinitive it works as a set expression. For learners, it is best to remember it as a chunk:

• quitte à + infinitive = even if it means doing...

So it is better to learn quitte à réduire as a whole idea rather than trying to translate quitte by itself.

Because quitte à is followed by an infinitive verb.

Pattern:

• quitte à + infinitive

Examples:

• quitte à attendre = even if it means waiting
• quitte à perdre = even if it means losing
• quitte à réduire notre score = even if it means reducing our score

So réduire is in the infinitive because it depends on the expression quitte à.

In this context, it most naturally means:

• We’re changing strategy
• Let’s change strategy
• We’re going to switch strategies

French often uses the present tense where English might use a present progressive or near-future idea.

So the French present here can sound more immediate and decision-like than a plain English we change strategy.

It means to lower our score or to reduce the score we get.

The idea is that the speaker is willing to accept a worse numerical result if that is the cost of changing strategy.

Depending on context, score could refer to:

• a game score
• a test result
• a rating
• a performance measure

So the full sentence suggests a trade-off:

• We’re changing strategy, even if that means getting a lower score.

Yes, score is commonly used in French, especially in contexts like:

• games
• sports
• ratings
• quizzes
• performance systems

In some contexts, another word might be possible, such as note for a grade or résultat for a result, but score is perfectly natural in many situations.

Yes, you could say:

• Nous changeons de stratégie, quitte à réduire notre score.

That is grammatically correct. It is just a bit more formal or less conversational than on change.

In everyday spoken French, on change is usually the more natural choice.

It is fairly neutral but often adds a sense of deliberate acceptance of a risk or downside.

So it can sound a bit more thoughtful or emphatic than a simple même si.

Compare:

• même si ça réduit notre score = even if it reduces our score
• quitte à réduire notre score = even at the cost of reducing our score

The second version sounds more like: we know the downside, and we accept it anyway.