effectif

workforce, staff strength

noun adjective ef-ek-TEEF Rare

Also means

effective (adjective sense)

Usage Note

Effectif as a noun refers to the total number of personnel in a military unit, company, or team — les effectifs (plural) means 'manpower' or 'headcount'. As an adjective it means 'effective' or 'actual', contrasted with nominal or theoretical. Effectivement is the adverb ('indeed', 'actually').

Examples

"Les effectifs de l'armée ont augmenté."

Natural Translation

Army troop numbers have increased.

Free starter pack

Building your French vocabulary?

Get the 100 most common French words as a free PDF — one email, no spam.

Related Words

Explore French by topic

FrenchNow

Passé Composé vs Imparfait: When to Use Each

Passé composé tells the story; imparfait paints the scene. Use this 2-second flowchart, trigger words, and paired examples to pick the right French tense.

June 3, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

French Object Pronouns: le, la, lui, leur Order

Le lui or lui le? Use the à-name test to pick le/la vs lui/leur, then one slot chart to order two French object pronouns — plus the command exception.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

How to Pronounce the French R (Step by Step)

The French R is a back-of-the-throat sound, not a rolled R. Learn the exact tongue position and a step-by-step drill to build it from sounds you already make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read

FrenchNow

Faire in French: To Make, To Do, and More

Faire in French means more than make and do: master faire vs rendre, weather and sports idioms, the causative, and the mistakes English speakers make.

June 4, 2026 6 min read