Ways to say it
| Spanish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| llamá a la policía | /ʝama a la poliθia/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /ʝama a la polisia/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
with voseo |
| llame a la policía | /ʝame a la poliθia/ (Spain, from spelling rules) /ʝame a la polisia/ (Latin America, from spelling rules) |
formal |
| (tuteo) llama a la policía |
You can incorporate politeness into your request by adding por favor to the formal version, as in Por favor, llame a la policía.
Which one should you use?
Use llama a la policía for informal situations (tuteo). Use llamá a la policía in regions that utilize voseo.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
llame a la policía is the formal way to say "call the police". llama a la policía is the informal way to say "call the police". llamá a la policía is used in voseo-speaking regions.
Is it said differently in some regions?
llamá a la policía is the form used in regions that use voseo, such as Argentina, Uruguay and parts of Central America. In Spain, people may use avisar to mean "to call".
How does it change in a sentence?
If you are addressing more than one person, use the plural form llamen a la policía. The infinitive form llamar a la policía is used after other verbs, such as Necesito llamar a la policía (I need to call the police).
How do you pronounce it?
/ʝama a la poliθia/
Did you know?
- The word llama in this phrase shares its spelling with the South American animal, the 'llama', though the animal's name actually comes from the Quechua language.
- In spoken Spanish, the word policía is frequently shortened to la poli in informal settings.
- The noun policía has its roots in the Ancient Greek word politeía, which referred to the administration of a city-state or the rights of citizens.
Examples in context
- Llamá a la policía.Call the police.This sentence shows how to use the voseo form llamá a la policía.Tatoeba #2418238 by hayastan, translation #2245030 by CK
- ¡Llamá a la policía!Call the police!This sentence uses the voseo form llamá a la policía with an exclamation.Tatoeba #1361025 by hayastan, translation #1718 by CK
- ¿Quieres que llame a la policía?Do you want me to call the police?This sentence uses the formal form llame a la policía in a question.Tatoeba #9469286 by Shishir, translation #1992153 by Spamster
- Por favor, llame a la policía de inmediato si observa algo fuera de lo común.Please call the police immediately if you observe something out of the ordinary.
- Si ves algo sospechoso, por favor, llama a la policía de inmediato.If you see something suspicious, please call the police immediately.
- Si necesitas ayuda, marca el número de la policía y ellos vendrán rápidamente.If you need help, call the police number and they will come quickly.
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Sofía and Alejandro are walking in a dark parking lot when they see someone trying to break into a car.
- Alejandro¡Sofía, llamá a la policía!Sofía, call the police!
- SofíaYa lo estoy haciendo.I am doing it right now.
- AlejandroTené cuidado, por favor.Be careful, please.
- SofíaNo te preocupes, Alejandro.Don't worry, Alejandro.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “call the police” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- IPA marked “from spelling rules” is derived from standard Spanish spelling, where Wiktionary gives none.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries a, la, llama, policía, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
