# What's in it for me?



## Cadet Rousselle

Hello,

A guy rang me up by telephone asking me to do a survey, I did it to find there was no prize involved.

That sucked. 

Next time I'm going to ask "what's in it for me?" before I answer any questions, and I'm interested to know how to say this in French.

"Quel est l'advantage pour moi?"

Is this correct *and* is there are slang way to say it which is closer to the English "what's in it for me?"

Thanks,
Cadet


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## Zhorg

what's in it for me > translation > qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagné ? 

you could also say
before the survey >
"est-ce que y'a quelque chose à gagner ?"
after the survey "cheeky way"
"ok ! euh, j'ai gagné quelque chose ?"


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## Cadet Rousselle

Thanks Zhorg, question though:



Zhorg said:


> what's in it for me > translation > qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagné ?


 
What happened here?

Why is there "à" in between the auxillary and the participe passé?

Is this à necessary, can it work without it, like this:

j'y ai gagné?

or

j'ai à gagner?

Thanks,
Cadet


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## [Marc]

Je gagne quelque chose à la loterie : à indicates by which mean you won something. In te question, you just put in in front of the verb : à y gagner : y stands for the questions they're going to ask you on the phone... So none of the two latter form you proposed are correct.


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## Zhorg

yep ! but in a different order
j'y gagne ! 
j'ai à y gagner (sounds awful though...)

"y" = " it" > "what's in *it *for me?


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## Cadet Rousselle

Hmm perhaps I'm confused.

The 'y' can mean "there" also right?

I wasn't sure whether it came before the infinitive in the passe compose or before the auxillary in that case.

Examples:

J'y vais (before single conjugated verb)
Je vais y aller (before infinitive when there are two verbs)

But, passe compose I forget.

It is:

A) Je suis y allé
B) Je y suis allé

A ou B messieurs?

Thanks,
Cadet


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## [Marc]

j'y suis allé : modified B


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## Cadet Rousselle

Thanks.

So it normally is before the infinitive when two verbs are used, but in the Passe Compose it is before the auxillary.

So what happened with j'ai à y gagné, is it because the "à" alters the construction?

And, is it only "à" that does this specially or is it any two pronouns?

Examples:

A) Je le lui ai dit
B) J'ai le lui dit

Thanks,
Cadet


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## Zhorg

B is incorrect

je le lui ai dit


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## [Marc]

No, the thing is "j'ai à y gagner" is not passé composé but present. It is a question. : "ai-je à y gagner ?" would be the same question, a bit formal whereas "je le lui ai dit" is passé composé... So questions and passé composé don't obey the same rules...


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## Cadet Rousselle

Thanks Zhorg.

Hi Marc,

Why I put it in the Passe compose was because Zhorg wrote it like this:



Zhorg said:


> what's in it for me > translation > qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagn*é* ?


 
And this confused me because I thought in French after a preposition (comme à) you *always* had to have the infinitive, and that's why when Zhorg wrote it in the passe compose it made me think about what I know about the passe compose and if it is wrong.

Thanks,
Cadet


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## [Marc]

qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagn*é* ?
should be : qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagn*er*, indeed.
With mode details :
Qu'est-ce que je gagne ?
Qu'est-ce que j'ai gagné ?
Qu'est-ce que je gagnais ?
Qu'est-ce que j'avais gagné ?
All these questions does not use à because you assume it known or obvious, and you could use : "qu'est-ce que je gagne ?" in your case, I guess, or something like : "qu'est-ce que je peux gagner ?". 
Whereas :
Qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagner ?
Qu'est-ce que j'avais à y gagner ?
Is the short for "qu'est-ce que je gagne à répondre à vos questions ?", "y" stands for "répondre à vos questions".


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## Cadet Rousselle

[Marc];2038206 said:
			
		

> qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagn*é* ?
> should be : qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagn*er*, indeed.
> With mode details :
> Qu'est-ce que je gagne ?
> Qu'est-ce que j'ai gagné ?
> Qu'est-ce que je gagnais ?
> Qu'est-ce que j'avais gagné ?
> All these questions does not use à because you assume it known or obvious, and you could use : "qu'est-ce que je gagne ?" in your case, I guess, or something like : "qu'est-ce que je peux gagner ?".
> Whereas :
> Qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagner ?
> Qu'est-ce que j'avais à y gagner ?
> Is the short for "qu'est-ce que je gagne à répondre à vos questions ?", "y" stands for "répondre à vos questions".


 
Ah ok.

It seems something strange is going on with Avoir here.

If avoir is *not* used with a participe passé (comme Qu'est-ce que j'ai gagné ? & Qu'est-ce que j'avais gagné ?) then one must use à & y before the infinitive?

Does this happen with any other verbs, example perdre:

"qu'est-ce que je perds à répondre à vos questions?"
"qu'est-ce que j'ai à y perdre?"

Is this ok?

Thanks,
Cadet


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## [Marc]

Yes it is, indeed.
Tu as à aller à l'école : you must go to school, you have to go to school. (it's correct, but hereone would say generally : tu dois aller à l'école).
Est-ce que tu as à y aller ? Do you have to go there ? but with context, y can stand for anything that was mentionned before.
Or : As-tu à y aller ?
Or something like that...


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## Cadet Rousselle

Excellent.

So if my theory is correct about the participe passé, then the passé composé of "Est-ce que tu as à y aller" should be:

A) "Est-ce que tu a dû y aller?" (Did you have to go there?)
B) "Est-ce que tu y es allé" (You went there?)

Are these ok?

Thanks,
Cadet


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## Zhorg

Cadet Rousselle said:


> Thanks Zhorg.
> 
> Hi Marc,
> 
> Why I put it in the Passe compose was because Zhorg wrote it like this:
> 
> Thanks,
> Cadet


 
i wrote it like this for 2 minutes...i've realised my mistake and have corrected it


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## [Marc]

A) "Est-ce que tu a*s* dû y aller?" (Did you have to go there?)
B) "Est-ce que tu y es allé" (You went there?)
Yes, these work : you're right ! Other time could be:
A) Est-ce que tu avais à/dû y aller ?
Although : à would be more passive, they don't exactly feel the same, but I cannot find a way to explain properly...


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## Cadet Rousselle

Zhorg said:


> i wrote it like this for 2 minutes...i've realised my mistake and have corrected it


 
Pas du probleme Zhorg, happens to everyone.

I sincerely appreciate your help. 

Thanks,
Cadet


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## Cadet Rousselle

[Marc];2038339 said:
			
		

> A) "Est-ce que tu a*s* dû y aller?" (Did you have to go there?)
> B) "Est-ce que tu y es allé" (You went there?)
> Yes, these work : you're right ! Other time could be:
> A) Est-ce que tu avais à/dû y aller ?
> Although : à would be more passive, they don't exactly feel the same, but I cannot find a way to explain properly...


 
Ok so to revise my theory.

1. Avoir + particpe passé = no à
2. Avoir + particpe passé + infinitive = no à
3. Avoir + infinitive = à & y always

Let me test my revised theory:

1. Est-ce que tu y as pissé? (Have you pissed there?)  
2. Est-ce que tu as dû y aller pisser? (Did you have to go piss there?) 
3. Est-ce que tu as à y pisser? (Do you have to piss there?)

Hmm, so it seems one can choose between the participe passé of the passé composé + y in lieu de imparfait + à + y infinitive?

Is this right?

Thanks,
Cadet


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## Zhorg

funny examples but why not...

1. Est-ce que tu as pissé là? (Have you pissed there?) 
2. Est-ce que t'as as dû aller pisser là ? (Did you have to go piss there?) 
3. Est-ce que tu as pissé là ? (Do you have to piss there?)

use "là" not "y"


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## [Marc]

1. Est-ce que tu y as pissé? (Have you pissed there?)  OK
2. Est-ce que tu as dû y aller pisser? (Did you have to go piss there?) OK
3. Est-ce que tu as à y pisser? (Do you have to piss there?) OK

All right !! Congratulations ! 
Marc


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## Zhorg

la traduction est juste mais moche...il vaut mieux traduire par "là"....


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## [Marc]

C'était pour de la grammaire


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## Cadet Rousselle

Many thanks mecs.


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## edwingill

Cadet Rousselle said:


> Hello,
> 
> A guy rang me up by telephone asking me to do a survey, I did it to find there was no prize involved.
> 
> That sucked.
> 
> Next time I'm going to ask "what's in it for me?" before I answer any questions, and I'm interested to know how to say this in French.
> 
> "Quel est l'advantage pour moi?"
> 
> Is this correct *and* is there are slang way to say it which is closer to the English "what's in it for me?"
> 
> 
> Thanks,
> Cadet


Que vais-je en retirer?


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## Zhorg

i'm no mec LOOL !


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## Cadet Rousselle

edwingill said:


> Que vais-je en retirer?


 
Thanks edwingill.

Zhorg, why aren't you a mec?

Est-ce que tu es une femme?


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## Gswiss

Cadet Rousselle said:


> Hello,
> 
> A guy rang me up by telephone asking me to do a survey, I did it to find there was no prize involved.
> 
> That sucked.
> 
> Next time I'm going to ask "what's in it for me?" before I answer any questions, and I'm interested to know how to say this in French.
> 
> "Quel est l'advantage pour moi?"
> 
> Is this correct *and* is there are slang way to say it which is closer to the English "what's in it for me?"
> 
> Thanks,
> Cadet


In French, it would be more natural to say _qu'est-ce que cela me rapporte_ _?_ or _qu'est-ce que cela me donne ?_


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## Lucky19

Et je vais faire ça pour tes beaux yeux ?


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## moustic

Qu'est-ce que j'ai à y gagner ?


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