compensar

to compensate for

to be worth it

compensar(kohm-pehn-sahr)

transitive verb

1. (to counteract)

a. to compensate for

La educación temprana puede compensar ciertas condiciones adversas en la vida del niño.

Early education can compensate for adverse circumstances in the child's life.

b. to make up for

Tendremos que conversar todo el día para compensar todo este tiempo sin vernos.

We'll have to spend all day chatting to make up for all the time we've lost.

c. to offset

Será necesario importar pescado para compensar la actual escasez.

There is a need to import fish to offset the current shortage.

2. (to do or give something in return; often used with "for")

a. to repay

Te hice un pastel para compensarte por toda tu ayuda.

I baked you a cake to repay you for all your help.

3. (to indemnify; often used with "for")

a. to compensate

La compañía le pagó $10,000 para compensarlo por los daños sufridos.

The company paid him $10,000 to compensate him for the damages suffered.

4. (finance)

a. to clear

El banco ya compensó el cheque con que me pagaste y el dinero ya está en mi cuenta.

The bank cleared the check you gave me as payment and the money is now in my account.

intransitive verb

5. (to pay off)

a. to be worth it

Por lo poco que pagan, no compensa manejar hasta allá para trabajar todo el día.

For so little pay, it's not worth it to drive all the way there and work all day.

b. to be worth one's while

No compensa volar más de cinco horas hasta Boston para regresar al día siguiente.

It is not worth my while flying over five hours to Boston only to return the following day.

compensarse

pronominal verb

6. (to level out)

a. to be compensated

Todo lo que he sufrido se compensa cuando veo la felicidad de mi hijo.

All my suffering is compensated when I see my son's happiness.

b. to be canceled out

Las pérdidas en las ventas de algunos artículos se compensaron con mayores ganancias en otros.

Losses due to decrease in sales for some items were canceled out by increases in others.