# Anal personality



## poireau

Bonjour, 

Comment dites-vous "He is very anal."  Ici "anal" decrit ca personalite.  C'est une personne qui est peut etre tres critique et qui veut les chose d'une maniere tres nette et specifique..etc.

C'est une expression tres populaire ici aux USA.

Merci.


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## v1in2ch3

Peut être: il est très pointilleux (il veut que les choses soit faites bien et jusque dans les moindres détails)


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## poireau

Je ne suis pas sur qu' "anal" soit "pointilleux".

Selon wordreference, pointilleux est "fastidious"  et une personne "anal" n'est pas necessairement pointilleuse.


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## v1in2ch3

Alors peut être est-ce quelque de "difficile" (qui est difficilement satisfait il faut que ce soit fait selon ses voeux, ceux ci étant en outre difficilement satisfait)
mais c'est une traduction un peu tangeante, mais je n ai pas de mot plus correct pour aller dans le sens de cette idée..


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## poireau

Tout ce que vous decrivez dans votre dernier message est tout a fait une personne "anal", de moins ce que je sais.

Alors, peut etre on peut dire tout simplement une personne "difficile" car generalement "anal" n'a pas une bonne connotation.


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## Fred-Fred

"Exigeant" or maybe "tatillon".


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## Waninou

Fred-Fred said:


> "Exigeant" or maybe "tatillon".


 
Both very nice depending on the context:

Il est très éxigeant envers les autres (et lui-même) formal

Il est très tatillon. colloquial

hope it helps !


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## Gael9

I tend to understand 'anal' like uptight, meaning in french 'coincé du cul' in vulgar slang.
This would describe someone a bit socially and emotionely blocked...

What do you guys think?

Gael


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## Gourmay

Sometimes you can say 'chiant' to mean someone who is very demanding about things/wants things done in a specific way just like 'anal'.

As in 'Il est vraiment chiant la-dessus'


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## tahanala

"il est constipé" provided the context makes it clear you don't mean it in the medical way, could do the trick. Or else, "il a une personnalité anale typique" in reference to Freud's theories as in English, but it is somewhat less widely used here in France. The reference is direct, however badly understood.


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## fabfab

Gourmay said:


> Sometimes you can say 'chiant' to mean someone who is very demanding about things/wants things done in a specific way just like 'anal'.
> 
> As in 'Il est vraiment chiant la-dessus'


 
Sounds good!
Paul is anal <=> _Paul est un chieur_.


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## Grumumble

Does this fit the AE meaning?
My personal use of 'he is so anal' only refers to the way the person cleans.
For me, *being anal = being a cleaning perfectionnist*
In French I'd say something like, _Il est tellement carré_
I know this can mean many things,
perhaps _il est chiant au niveau du ménage_  could work for my situation


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## Moon Palace

For the sake of the record, I feel it is necessary to say here that '_chiant' _is vulgar and does not meet the register of 'anal'. 
I would suggest: 'il est maniaque (en ce qui concerne / pour le ménage..)' or 'il est vétilleux' (less common though) or 'c'est un chicaneur'.


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## Welshie

"Anal" is also very informal, almost vulgar, unless you are talking about the medical or psychological sense of the word.


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## Moon Palace

The worst I have found about 'anal' is 'informal' in the CED.   And really,  'chiant' is not just colloquial, it is very vulgar.


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## ChrisPa

I have never heard "anal" in french in the meaning "chiant". ? (I know "phase annale" but not "il est annal"). Is it used actually
i thought is had only a physological or psychanalytical meaning.


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## Moon Palace

No, Chrispa, 'anal' is the English word and we are trying to find a French equivalent. 'chiant' could be used, as far as I am concerned, in a vulgar register of language, but not in formal language.


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## ChrisPa

ok, so maybe "tatillon"


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## Anne-Claire

"maniaque" could maybe give the idea of "anal", it is less coloquial than "chiant"


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## Gourmay

Moon Palace said:


> For the sake of the record, I feel it is necessary to say here that '_chiant' _is vulgar and does not meet the register of 'anal'.
> I would suggest: 'il est maniaque (en ce qui concerne / pour le ménage..)' or 'il est vétilleux' (less common though) or 'c'est un chicaneur'.



I have never ever heard the words chicaneur or vétilleux being used. 

Also, anal isn't exactly the classiest expression. 'Chiant' is vulgar but it rates pretty low on the scale of offense.


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## Moon Palace

Gourmay said:


> I have never ever heard the words chicaneur or vétilleux being used.


_chicaneur_: not very commonplace among Star Ac candidates maybe, but absolutely befitting for this meaning. See the TLF definition.
_vétilleux_: as befitting for the meaning. I admit this one may not be used in your casual conversations. But this depends on the register, and on the person talking. It may prove useful to know. 



> Also, anal isn't exactly the classiest expression. 'Chiant' is vulgar but it rates pretty low on the scale of offense.



_Anal_ may not be formal language, but it is not vulgar. And if '_c'est chiant'_ may not be very vulgar these days, talking about _a person_ saying _il / elle est chiante_ is  very vulgar indeed, and ought to be used with extreme care by learners of French.


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## Gourmay

[…]

Still I insist, 'chiant' IS vulgar but it is also very commonplace and certainly in a very different league from words like 'enculé, pute, etc'.

I think the closest to an 'anal' person will be 'chiant', 'maniaque' or 'pointilleux'. 'Maniaque' being the most severe, 'pointilleux' the least. As in:

"_Ma mère est vraiment une maniaque de la propreté et du ménage_"

"_Ma mère est vraiment chiante pour tout ce qui est propreté ou ménage_"

"_Ma mère est vraiment pointilleuse pour tout ce qui est propreté ou ménage_"


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## JeanDeSponde

_Chicaneur_, _vétilleux_ sont employés, à l'écrit comme à l'oral. Peut-être pas couramment, mais seules quelques centaines de mots sont employées couramment, voire même en effet beaucoup moins dans la télé-réalité. […]
_Chiant_ est du même registre que _pute_ ou _enfoiré_, mais pas du même que _maniaque _ou _pointilleux. Chiant _est clairement vulgaire dans tout contexte - et donc à utiliser en connaissance de cause.
Je ne suis pas assez savant pour connaître le registre de _anal_, mais je vois mal comment _anal_ pourrait appartenir simultanément aux deux registres, celui de _chiant_ et celui de _maniaque_?


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## Gourmay

Je serais prête à parier que vous avez tous deux la quarantaine ou la cinquantaine. D'où notre désaccord. Moi je suis dans ma vingtaine et j'en reste à mon message précèdent.

We can agree to disagree.


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## Moon Palace

Language habits do not rely on age only, far from it. If you say '_il est chiant' _to somebody your age within a firm, I wouldn't think you are going to be highly regarded. Context matters, and context is made up of age, social backgrounds, and so many other criteria. For the sake of learners of French, even if we disagree, the distinction ought to be clearly made between what is acceptable and not acceptable in a professional / formal context. I wouldn't want to be told that the English 'fuck' is accepted in a job context, and '_chiant' _belongs to the same register.


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## wildan1

Le seul lien entre _anal _et _chiant_ àma est que les deux termes sont liés à la même partie du corps !

Je pense que _manique _serait le plus proche et du point de vue du sens et du point de vue du registre de _anal._

_Anal _est un terme freudien qui est passé dans le langage général (du moins aux US) à un niveau plutôt standard et instruit.

J'ai du mal à m'imaginer des jeunes anglophones d'un niveau d'instruction limité utiliser _anal_ dans leurs conversations...


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## JeanDeSponde

Gourmay said:


> Je serais prête à parier que vous avez tous deux la quarantaine ou la cinquantaine. D'où notre désaccord. Moi je suis dans ma vingtaine et j'en reste à mon message précèdent.
> We can agree to disagree.


Je suis effectivement suffisamment vieux pour savoir que le sens des nuances n'est pas fonction de l'âge - les _neiges d'antan _de Brassens...!
Sérieusement, la question n'est pas celle de l'âge. _Anal_ est-il du même registre que _fuck_ ou _shit_, qu'on pourrait aussi qualifier de non vulgaires puisque maintenant courants ?


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## lisbeth.feldspar

wildan1 said:


> _Anal _est un terme freudien qui est passé dans le langage général (du moins aux US) à un niveau plutôt standard et instruit.
> 
> J'ai du mal à m'imaginer des jeunes anglophones d'un niveau d'instruction limité utiliser _anal_ dans leurs conversations...



Je voudrais préciser un peu....  Il est vrai que le mot "anal" dérive du contexte freudian; il a, parfois, un sens très clinique et objectif.  Mais quand on l'utilise parmi des amis, pour décrire familièrement la personnalité d'une connaissance, par exemple, il devient _presque_ un peu vulgaire.  Moi-même j'hesiterais de l'utiliser devant mon patron, par exemple.  Je trouve, bien qu'il soit un mot théoretiquement clinique, qu'un interlocuteur va penser involuntairement, juste pour une seconde, à la partie du corps que vous venez juste de mentionner!  Utilisez-le avec prudence....

lisbeth


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## Gourmay

lisbeth.feldspar said:


> Je voudrais préciser un peu....  Il est vrai que le mot "anal" dérive du contexte freudian; il a, parfois, un sens très clinique et objectif.  Mais quand on l'utilise parmi des amis, pour décrire familièrement la personnalité d'une connaissance, par exemple, il devient _presque_ un peu vulgaire.  Moi-même j'hesiterais de l'utiliser devant mon patron, par exemple.  Je trouve, bien qu'il soit un mot théoretiquement clinique, qu'un interlocuteur va penser involuntairement, juste pour une seconde, à la partie du corps que vous venez juste de mentionner!  Utilisez-le avec prudence....
> 
> lisbeth



Tout à fait d'accord.


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## Pyccak

Gael9 said:


> I tend to understand 'anal' like uptight, meaning in french 'coincé du cul' in vulgar slang.
> This would describe someone a bit socially and emotionely blocked...
> 
> What do you guys think?
> 
> Gael



Coincé du cul, n'est ce pas plutôt "a tight-ass"?


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## Pyccak

Moon Palace said:


> Language habits do not rely on age only, far from it. If you say '_il est chiant' _to somebody your age within a firm, I wouldn't think you are going to be highly regarded. Context matters, and context is made up of age, social backgrounds, and so many other criteria. For the sake of learners of French, even if we disagree, the distinction ought to be clearly made between what is acceptable and not acceptable in a professional / formal context. I wouldn't want to be told that the English 'fuck' is accepted in a job context, and '_chiant' _belongs to the same register.



If we are pals, within a firm, why is it wrong to use 'fuck' as long as no clients are present? Anal's origin is clearly vulgar, but it is more accepted nowdays as a normal slang. Same with 'chiant'.


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## Keith Bradford

I don't know why you're all so uptight about whether "anal" is vulgar or not.  That's not at all the point.

The full term is _*anal-retentive*_ which does not mean _chiant_ - absolutely the opposite in fact!  An anal-retentive person (correct medical vocabulary, not slang or vulgar) is emotionally constipated, controlling, obsessive, narrow-minded, probably tight-fisted...  To call someone anal(ly-retentive) is not a compliment but not in itself obscene.


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## xiancee

I think of the word "tatagollet" which in "lyonnais slang" is said about someone who is very fussy, and beats about the bush constantly 
but of course this word can't pretend at universality :s


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## mungolina

Keith Bradford has the definition totally right. 'Coincé' is used in a similar way (without requiring 'du cul'): "Il est complètement coincé, le mec".

As to the secondary conversation, Moon Palace, it strikes me you are being a wee bit anal about it  Use of words does change over time, and different generations do use them differently - fuck is far more wide spread and acceptable than it used to be, and chiant is used quite widely - yes, even in business meetings; although not within the teacher/pupil context. After all - 'damn' was considered a swear-word still in the 50s and even 60s to the older generation - and still is in parts of the US. In the UK, no-one would think twice about using damn nowadays.


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## Gael9

Keith Bradford said:


> I don't know why you're all so uptight about whether "anal" is vulgar or not. That's not at all the point.
> 
> The full term is _*anal-retentive*_ which does not mean _chiant_ - absolutely the opposite in fact! An anal-retentive person (correct medical vocabulary, not slang or vulgar) is emotionally constipated, controlling, obsessive, narrow-minded, probably tight-fisted... To call someone anal(ly-retentive) is not a compliment but not in itself obscene.


 

Well the best translation I can think of for 'chiant' is 'he is a pain in the butt/neck/...). So I suppose an anal guy can be a pain in the butt, but I understand it doesn't have the same meaning (someone can be a pain to others for other reasons than being anal!!)


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## Maurice le difficile

If this helps:
Anal comes from "anal retentive", which I believe is a term from psychology, related to potty training issues that are carried into adulthood. So, obsessive about cleanliness is accurate, but the term has evolved through pop culture. I like several of the above suggestions, depending on the particular person being described, and the reasons for it.


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## xiancee

considering all that has been said I agree with Mungolina, "coincé" seems to be the bes neutral option


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## Lizamichael

Désolée d'entrer si tard dans la conversation, mas pour moi, "chiant" est une opinion sur quelqu'un qui serait "anal". J'ai toujours communément entendu "anal" utilisé comme voulant dire "maniaque" (dans le sens "pointilleux obsessif") ce qui est un état de fait et non un commentaire


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## Cigare

"Maniaque" seems to me like the most accurate translation and would definitely convey the sense of extreme tidiness. "Tatillon" could be used as well but isnt as strong as "anal" in English and also doesn't necessarily relate to cleanliness. "Maniaque" is used in other contexts but the first image that would come to a French mind would be someone scrubbing a kitchen counter like a maniac or organizing office supplies like a psychopath. Somebody anal.


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## Keith Bradford

OK, I'll declare my own viewpoint, having once been called "_maniaque_".  It referred to my behaviour on one occasion, and corresponded I think to _punctilious _or _finicky_ about a particular detail.

However, if used correctly, "anal" refers to all occasions - it's a whole mind-set.  *Il fait de la fixation au stade anal - Il est coincé de nature.*


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## Chimel

I think nobody has suggested _guindé_. I feel it matches fairly well Keith's description in message # 32 (emotionally constipated, controlling, narrow-minded...).

_Coincé _is not bad either, but to me it is more a synonym of _complexé, inhibé_, often in a sexual context ("Avec les filles, il est complètement coincé, le mec!").

If _anal _only refers to extreme tidiness, then _maniaque _would do. But most natives here seem to think it has a broader meaning.


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## lucas-sp

Keith Bradford said:


> However, if used correctly, "anal" refers to all occasions - it's a whole mind-set.  *Il fait de la fixation au stade anal - Il est coincé de nature.*


Just a side note - "medically" speaking, you can be fixated in the anal stage and not "anal" (since "anal" in English usually only refers to "anal-retentive"). You can also be "anal-expulsive": messy, uncontrolled, profligate with money, unable to self-censor in speech or behavior, etc.

I like "maniaque," because I think it can be both specific - "Laurent et vraiment un maniaque de la propreté" - and general in the sense of all-over fussiness. "Coincé" is a good compromise, though.


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## catwin

j'arrive un peu tard dans la discussion mais cela pourrait servir à d'autres : je dirais "il est coupeur de cheveux en quatre".

à bientôt !


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## Kitcitwapien

I did a quick research and found that an anal personality may vary according to the type of anal stage it originates from:
anal-retentive stage: fixation at this level may result in a personality that is *parsimonious* and *prudish*.  
anal-expulsive stage: fixation at this level may lead to a personality syndrome of *conceit*, *ambition*, and *aggressiveness*.

Hope this helps.


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## frogginoz

just watching a French movie with English subs (I'm in Australia, the subs are on automatically) and "psycho-rigide" was translated as "anal".  
fits pretty well the translations given here ~ i just had to double check that it wasn't some typo mistake, you know, qualifying someone as anal wouldn't be a typical thing to say in French, especially from a daughter who doesn't particurlarly hate her dad (in the movie)...


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